Healing the Dark
by musicaldoctor1819
Summary: A Solangelo Story. Takes place where Blood of Olympus left off. Will drags Nico to the infirmary, where he discovers more than just physical scars tormenting the son of Hades. Can Will heal Nico and bring him Solace? Themes of depression, anxiety, and self-harm expressed. Rated M for themes, imagery, and language.
1. Chapter 1: Beginnings

_Author's Note: Hey guys! This is my first fanfiction and I have decided to go back and revise it. The plot will stay the same (for anyone who had already read it), but I am fixing some of my grammatical errors and lines that I (looking back) find really cringey. I already have started the sequel. Thanks for your support._

 _Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are depicted within this story. TRIIGER WARNING! Please DO NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave suggestions. Enjoy!_

* * *

Healing the Dark

Nico's POV:

Nico walked back over to Will Solace whose eyes lit up as he saw the son of Hades coming back. The skeletal butterflies came back. Nico forced them down, not trusting himself to jump into another unrequited crush.

"What was that about?" Will asked, curious.

"Nothing, just had to clear something up."

"Well alright, now that you've taken care of that, it's time for three days in the infirmary," Will said, a smirk unfolding on his features.

"Can we start later? I want to be able to say goodbye to Hazel and Reyna and everyone going back to Camp Jupiter." Will nodded.

"Of course, but if you don't report straight to the infirmary, afterwards I am going to-"

"What? Make me sit in the sun all day? I can summon skeletons and commune with the dead, so you can't really threaten me," Nico stated.

"Not without dissolving into a pool of shadows you can't. We've talked about this; no more Underworld-y powers. Anyway, I was going to say that I was going to curse you to rhyme and speak in couplets all day," Will smirked. The grin was wiped off of Nico's face. Nico had seen that before and that was NOT something he wanted to be on the receiving end of. He mumbled indistinctly. Will leaned forward with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Fine, you win," Nico gave up. The son of Apollo started laughing.

"Those are words I never thought I would hear coming from your mouth." Nico felt himself turn red.

"Shut up, Solace." Will grinned even more, and opened his mouth to say something else but was interrupted by one of his siblings calling for his help in the infirmary. Solace started jogging backwards, "That's my cue. See you soon, Death Boy!" He turned around and jogged the rest of the way down to the infirmary.

"Don't call me that," Nico muttered under his breath, but Will was already out of sight.

* * *

Nico had just finished helping Hazel load her stuff onto the van and had given her a kiss on the cheek. He had waved goodbye to Reyna who came up to Nico and gave him a hug. Nico tensed, but relaxed into it.

"We will see each other again. Please keep in touch, I want to keep an eye on you," Reyna whispered into his ear. Nico smiled. Just like Jason had become like an older brother to him, Reyna acted like an older sister.

"I will." Reyna pulled away to look at him. Her eyebrows knit with concern.

"And if you have any problems with anything or anyone, I'm just an Iris message away," Nico mentally rolled his eyes. _Yup_ he thought _just like a concerned older sister._ "And please no shadowing traveling for a while. No use in injuring yourself,"

"You sound like Will," Reyna raised an eyebrow and gave him a look.

"Who is Will?" Nico mentally cursed himself in Italian.

"No one. Just a healer. Now get your Romans outta here." Reyna smiled.

"Goodbye Nico," she walked back over to the vans. Nico raised a hand up in farewell. He dropped his hand and turned back to the Camp. He headed back to his cabin, completely forgetting his promise to Will. He got to the door and looked up to see Solace, with his arms crossed, blocking his entrance to his cabin.

"No way are you getting in here, you made a promise," Nico cursed under his breath. "And me, knowing your disappearing and brooding ways, knew to make sure you remembered that you had an appointment."

"Brooding?" Nico asked angrily. Most people would back off at this point, but as Nico had learned, this certain son of Apollo was ridiculously stubborn.

"Oh, don't act like a drama queen. You know it's true. Everyone knows it," Nico's temper started rising.

"Don't pretend like you understand me, Solace."

"Don't act like you are so misunderstood, di Angelo. You are not as alone as you think you are," Will shot back.

 _Wanna bet? How not alone was I when I was trapped in Tartaru- Whoa Nico_ he thought, _you can't afford to go down that path right now._

"Whatever. I am not having this conversation with you." Nico's walls went even higher than they already were. He was not about to let Will, much let anyone in. But, Will apparently had his own ideas.

"As your Doctor," Nico rolled his eyes. "It is my responsibility to heal you physically as well as emotionally." _Yeah like anyone could do that_.

"What can I do to make you shut up?" Nico asked.

"Infirmary and best rest for three days, starting now. Doctors' orders," Will stated, with a small smile.

"Look, I'm fine, I'm not injured, and I'm not tired." Nico was lying through his teeth. He had some pretty deadly injuries from his time shadow jumping halfway across the globe. Those werewolf lacerations, which were stitched hastily by Reyna, were not healing at all, though they were hidden under a black jacket. He was so weak from his days of shadow jumping that he shouldn't even be breathing by normal standards. He had countless other injuries that had never even been looked over by a healer before. And... other scars, that he didn't want to even acknowledge. He hadn't had a full night's sleep, which he didn't get from passing out, in months, because of the nightmares that were sure to come. He hadn't even eaten a full meal in months either. He was just a mess, but he wasn't going to admit that to himself or that accursed son of Apollo.

But, even as Nico lied, he knew it was weak. Will thought so too. His eyes narrowed and he said, rather forcefully. "Don't lie to me, Nico. I can see the bags under your eyes. You are as pale as a ghost. Your clothes are hanging off you. And I bet you that if I grabbed your hands, they would be oozing the darkness from all your traveling. You are coming to the infirmary and that is final." Nico stepped back. He had not expected Will Solace, who seemed so laid back to be so... passionate and determined to get him to the infirmary. "You have to let people in to help you Nico. You can't do everything alone," Will said, more delicately. Nico was about to make a scathing remark when Jason Grace decided now would be a good time to interrupt.

"Hey Nico! What's-" he stopped as he saw Nico glaring at Will and Will looking concerned. "Am I interrupting something?" Will looked at the son of Jupiter with a smile.

"No, you aren't. I was just escorting Nico here to the infirmary so he can get healed and get some rest." Nico backed further away from the healer, who moved to grab Nico's arm.

"I told you I'm fine,"

"And I told you to stop lying, you need to rest. You look dead on your feet,"

"Never heard that one before."

"Nico-"

"I am NOT coming with you," Jason was watching this conversation with his mouth open. Nico guessed Jason was just surprised as he was that Will seemed determined to break Nico's stubbornness and wasn't terrified of him. Nico knew that he intimidated Jason, even if they were friends. When Jason saw Nico looking at him for support, he cleared his throat.

"Yeah well I think you should go to the infirmary Nico. You haven't been since we've been back and from what Reyna told me you had some pretty nasty-" Nico eyes widened in surprise as he cut off the son of Jupiter.

"Shut UP, Grace!" Nico really did not want Will to know about those werewolf claw marks; he was going to get such a lecture from everyone. But, Will had heard what Jason had said.

"Pretty nasty what, Nico?" Nico groaned. _Why me?_

"Nothing okay, can you both just leave me-"

"Alone? Gods no, Nico," Jason said, protectively. "You need to get your injuries looked at and get some sleep. I know you didn't get much of that on the Argo II. I know you have more injuries than all of us combine. You've been through hell and back. Just accept some help." Nico gave him the death glare and Jason stepped back though he didn't turn away. He wasn't leaving. Nico threw his arms in defeat.

"Fine, take me to the infirmary. The sooner I get in there, the faster I get out." Will uncrossed his arms, a smile breaking out on his face as he clapped his hands together.

"Well if you are going to be so reluctant to go to the infirmary, I guess I am going to have to drag you there," Will said with a mischievous grin on his face. Warning bells went off in Nico's head.

"I don't think that's such a good-" Jason started, but it was too late. Nico instincts hadn't kicked in fast enough and he was thrown over Will Solace's shoulder, like a sack of pomegranates without warning. "-idea." Jason finished. Nico started freaking out. He did NOT like to be touched. Without meaning too, his emotions got the better of him and a skeletal hand broke through the surface.

"PUT ME DOWN," Nico screamed forcefully. Will caught on quickly and dropped him. Nico fell straight onto his back but pushed himself up using his elbows. He gulped down his frustration. Will looked aghast and tried to help him up, but stopped himself. Jason ran over to Nico and crouched down.

"You okay, man?" Nico was mortified. It was embarrassing to be thrown over someone's shoulder, but far more mortifying to freak out about it. He pushed himself up and didn't reply to Jason's question. He walked over to the bony hand, jutting from the surface, considered it, and sent it back underground.

"I thought I said no more Underworld stu-" Will was cut off by Jason.

"Look Solace, lay off him, okay? I know you are trying to help, but Nico's been through a lot and he really doesn't like being touched..."

Nico missed the rest of the conversation as he paced around a bit to get his emotions under control. He looked up to find to sets of eyes looking at him. Jason's were filled with protection and Will's with concern. Nico's started seeing black spots as he stumbled. Jason moved to catch him, but Nico righted himself. He shook his head to clear the dizziness. He should not attempt to summon any more skeletons. Maybe he did need to go to the infirmary.

"Okay, let's go," he mumbled, walking past Jason and Will, down to the infirmary.


	2. Chapter 2: Stitches

_Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate! Please review and leave suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Will's POV:

After exchanging a worried glance with Jason, they both started down the hill after Nico. Will watched the son of Hades plod down the hill. He considered his movements and steps to try to gage the boy's injuries. He stumbled a few times, though Will attributed that to his summoning of the skeletal hand. He didn't appear to be limping or holding his arm as if pain. A lot of Nico's pain that Will, as a son of Apollo, could sense was internal. If his walls weren't so high, he might be able to convince Nico to talk about it, but his walls were steel with unbreakable locks on them. Will, as he walked down the hill, made it his mission to find the right lock-cutters. _Oh my gods, that was so lame, even in my head_.

He didn't notice they had reached the Big House until he noticed that Nico had stopped at the doors, not going in. Will opened the door and walks through the house until he reached the infirmary doors. He held the door open and ushered Nico inside, who looked very uncomfortable. Jason moved to follow, but Will stopped him.

"Hey, I know you care about Nico, and I do too, but right now, I really need to heal him and I have a feeling that he won't let me if there are a lot people here." Jason sighed, and looked to the ground.

"I had a feeling you were gonna say something like that," he looks up at Will. "If he needs me, or needs anything or something happens-"

"I'll come and find you," Will finished, smiling. He was glad to see that Nico had a friend like Jason to help him recover. "Of course, you have my word." With that, Will walked into the infirmary, shutting the door.

Nico was standing to the side, looking as though he was trying to melt into the shadows. Will could practically feel discomfort rolling off the son of Hades. Will looked up at the infirmary. There were very few campers inside. Most of the injuries sustained from the war with Gaea could be treated from the cabins of the wounded, but some were just too harmful to let out of sight. There had been numerous casualties from the fight, and some that Will had tried, but failed to prevent- _Stop Will_ he thought _There is no time for guilt right now. You have a patient to help._

He looked to Nico and gestured him to a bed in the back, secluded from the other campers and with dividers, giving Nico the privacy he most likely wanted. Nico followed him grudgingly. Will started messing with his supplies, magic and mortal equipment. Both were necessary for healing the injuries that he had seen the past few days, but he didn't ask where the Stoll Brothers had even gotten the mortal hospital equipment; needless to say, he didn't want to know. He prepared an IV of Unicorn draught, a sleeping potion, and some other ingredients to make sure Nico got some nutrition in his body as he began talking to Nico.

"So a little satyr told me that you heal better with unicorn draught," he didn't get a response. He turned to see Nico just standing there, looking helpless.

"Well don't just stand there," Will tapped the edge of the bed. "Sit down; I'm going to start my examination as soon as I finish this." Nico sat on the bed, looking warily at him.

"Don't you have other patients to look after, you know, ones more important than me," He sounded so broken. Will's heart shattered.

"Nico! Don't you ever say anything like that again!" The anger in Will's voice surprised Nico who flinched back. "You are so important! You were essential in the quest to stop Gaea. You are truly a hero. Why do you think you are not important?" Nico wouldn't meet Will's eyes.

Will sighed as he thought about what the guy had been through. Will knew he lost his sister, Bianca, at camp and then was on his own, probably traveling through the Underworld. Will knew he has searched for Percy and had found Camp Jupiter. Then, Will wasn't sure, but he thought that he eventually got Percy and Annabeth out of Tartarus and he had almost permanently become a ghost of the Underworld from all his shadow traveling. Will didn't know the full story, but Nico had been through a lot. Will contemplated him as he prepared all the tools needed for treating Nico's injuries. Will's eyes moved from his supplies up to Nico's face. Their eyes locked and they stayed like that for a minute or so, before Nico blushed and turned away. Will wanted to unlock that raw anguish he had just witnessed in his eyes, but he needed to gain Nico's trust first. Will cleared my throat and walked over to Nico.

"Okay Nico, so I know you are freaked-" he reworded himself. "I know that you don't like to be touched, but it is essential for your treatment, so if you don't mind," Nico looked up. "Can you take off your jacket, please?" Nico eyes filled with dread, but he shrugged the jacket off.

Will could see why Nico had been dreading coming to the infirmary as soon as he saw the lacerations covering his arm. Will gasped as he saw the improperly, hastily done stitches. He rushed over to Nico, gently grabbing his arm. Nico flinched, but Will ignored it. He turned it over slowly, examining the rest of the arm. Nico tensed, hand forming into a fist, but Will pressed a point on Nico's wrist that made him release the pressure and relax his arm. Nico gasped that Will had so easily stopped his reflex. Will started to smile, which was stopped when he noticed the fading scars on Nico's wrist, he didn't want to freak Nico out by asking him, but by feeling them and knowing Nico's past, he could tell who had caused them. Worry and sadness flooded into the son of Apollo. If this was just one arm, how bad was the rest of him? Will lightly moved his fingers up to the angry wounds further up his arm. Nico flinched as Will traced his old scars and like a ghost, lightly moved up his arm. Will shushed him, saying he was taking Nico's pulse, which was not untrue. The pulse was fast, which Will attributed to Nico being strung up about being touched. Will scrutinized the scratches all along the rest of his arm. On closer examination, he realized they were werewolf claw marks. He gasped and looked up into Nico's eyes which were a foot away from his.

"Are these werewolf claw marks, Nico?!" Nico nodded. Will cursed. " _Di_ _Immortales_ , how THICK do you have to be to not get this treated, Nico?! These kinds of injuries don't just go away especially not with lousily done stitches. These don't just heal without magic; you should have been in here the moment you got back. You have seriously not gotten any treatment for anything?" Nico wouldn't meet his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Will didn't believe his ears. The all-powerful son of Hades... Apologizing? This boy was surprising him more and more. Nico finally looked up. Will gently placed Nico's arm down and rummaged through his supplies. He pulled out a hypothermic needle and a vial of an anesthetic and mixed it with unicorn draught. He extracted the mixture and filled the needle. He turned to Nico.

"Okay, so I am going to have to pull out those stitches, because they are doing more harm than good, and restitch them with my stitches that will actually heal them. But, I am going to numb your arm first," Nico looked reluctant. "Doctor's orders," Nico scowled, though he held out his arm. "This won't hurt a bit." He slid the needle into Nico's arm, and heard him let out a gasp of pain. "Okay I lied, but now it won't hurt a bit. We just have to wait for it to kick in." Will stated calmly, putting the needle down. "Can I finish the rest of my examination while we wait?" Will asked.

"Yeah, I guess." Nico shrugged.

"Good okay so...umm... If you are comfortable with it, I can wait until you are asleep or whatever, but you need to take off your shirt."

"Can we please not do that? Maybe later, but please not now. I'm not exactly comfortable with that," Nico mumbled, embarrassed.

"No, it's totally okay, whatever you are most comfortable with." Will reassured him.

"I would be more comfortable not here," Nico muttered under his breath. Will had heard him, but decided to let it pass.

"What?"

"I said as long as I don't have to wear one of those hospital dresses with flowers," Will laughed. He went to the cabinet and pulled one out with suns on it.

"Like this? Hmm, I might have to make you, you know. Doctor's orders." Nico let out a hollow laugh.

"Haha, no. But seriously, you come anywhere near me with that, and I am shadow traveling out of here."

"You, sir, are not going anywhere. You have to get past me first!" Will stated, holding down Nico's arms.

Nico flinched when he touched his left arm, but not the right arm which meant the anesthetic had finally kicked in. Nico didn't try to move his arm. He looked up at Will. They were inches apart. They were silent for a few seconds, before Will remembered his place. He removed his hands. He was a doctor. He was supposed to be helping Nico, not hitting on him. But when he looked into Nico's eyes, he just got trapped. Nico's eyes looked shattered because of past memories. But, they intrigued Will and he wanted to gaze into those onyx orbs, deciphering the secrets hidden within them. He shook his head and focused back on his duty.

"Okay the anesthetic has set in, I am going to beginning the process," Nico cleared his throat as though trying to recollect his thoughts too. He detected a faint blush on the son of Hades. This made Will happy. He had been a distraction to Nico and had gotten him all flustered, "Oh, you can get comfortable. This may take a while to finish." Nico swung his legs up onto the bed and laid propped up against the unicorn down pillows. Will rolled over his chair, pulled on some gloves and began working on removing the stitches.

* * *

Nico's POV:

Nico refused to look at Will Solace as he started removing his stitches. Nico didn't want to admit it, but he had gotten lost in the son of Apollo's beautiful blue eyes. They had sparkled with mischief and teasing, with a little bit of worry. Will's smile was infectious and could be blinding. His nose was splashed with sun-kissed freckles. _Gods_ Nico thought _Stop thinking about him_. But he couldn't. The way Will had looked so concerned when he saw the werewolf claw marks made Nico felt like Will actually cared. Nico had felt Will brush his fingers along his scars and he had gotten chills. He didn't want any questions about that, but Will had refrained. And when Will had just held his arms down, though Nico was uncomfortable with the boy touching him, he relaxed as he realized how muscular and strong the son of Apollo was. And his hair was golden as though the sun had kissed it. And when Will spoke, it was like a melody and Nico slowly started to fall for it.

Speaking of Will's voice, he hadn't heard it in a while. He turned his head to look at golden-haired healer sitting next to him. Will was so engrossed in his work that he didn't even notice Nico looking at him. Nico saw a part of Will he hadn't seen before. His doctor side. He was so focused on taking out the stitches that Nico didn't think a pegasi stampede would disturb him from his work. His eyebrows were scrunched with concern and focus. His eyes were filled with determination and a certain amount of caring, that was always glowing in his eyes. His mouth was tight with concentration and Nico observed that he was whispering under his breath, though too faintly for Nico to hear the words. Nico enjoyed watching him. When people didn't realize they were being looked at, they were truly themselves and they did certain things that probably nobody else knew they did. Nico observed this side of people many times as he tended to sink into the shadows and rarely ever be seen. But there were exceptions. Like the one sitting in front of him, who, as if reading Nico's thoughts, looked up at the boy staring at him.

"Oh, hi. Did you say something? Sometimes I get caught up into my work and don't notice if someone is trying to get my attention," Will looked sheepish, pausing in his work. Nico cleared his throat. _Quick_ he thought _Make up an excuse for staring at him._

"I guess I'm just tired," _Nice excuse_. "I guess I just zoned out." He was exhausted, but he didn't want to sleep especially since there were people around that could see him if he dreamed. Although he trained himself to scream silently and cry without making a sound, Nico couldn't prevent his shaking and if someone was in the room with him; they would be bound to notice. And knowing Will, he wouldn't let Nico out of his sight. Nico's thoughts were interrupted by Will getting up.

"I'm going to get you started on an IV on your other arm then. It has a sleeping draught mixed in with it so you can sleep and we can also get some nutrition in you," Will spoke. Nico got a little nervous. He had never had a sleeping draught before, but he was pretty sure that it prevented nightmares of normal demigods. But, then again, Nico was far from normal. Will started speaking.

"I'm going to go get one of my siblings to help with the IV. Be right back." Will ducked past the dividers, but his head popped back into view. "And don't even think about leaving, Death Boy,"

Nico cursed him softly in Italian. He hated that nickname. He looked at his numb arm. The stitches had been pulled out and the wounds were open, but secured with butterfly stickers. Blood was running down Nico's arm. He looked up as Will and a girl came back into his area. Nico didn't know who the girl was. Knowing she was from Apollo's cabin, Nico guessed she was very sweet just like a certain blonde boy who was looking expectantly at him. He had a band of rubber in his gloved hand and the IV drip in the other. He hung up the IV drip on the pole by his bed and gave the band of rubber to his sister.

"We are going to put a tourniquet on your arm so we can find a vein and insert the IV. Please make a fist," Will ordered. Nico obliged and felt the band wrap around his upper arm. He felt Will prodding his arm for a vein. He looked at his sibling as they searched his arm. Will looked triumphant as he found the vein. He held down Nico's arm and even grabbed his fisted hand as his sister prepped the IV. Nico flinched as Will touched him, but relaxed as Will rubbed soothing circles into his fist. He hadn't had comfort like that since Bianca.

"Now, try not to flinch again; you are going to feel a slight pinch," There came the pinch as Nico watched the needle go into his arm. Will must have expected him to flinch because he held his arm down harder.

"There you go, you're all set. The draught should kick in soon." Nico felt her take off the tourniquet. She nodded to Will as she left the two boys alone. Will was still holding onto Nico. Nico coughed and looked at Solace. Will jumped as he realized what he was doing. His hands came off. Nico wished Will had stayed for a little longer, grasping to his hand. One of Will's hands went to the back of his neck, as he looked sheepish.

"Sorry, I forgot what I was doing. You're all set with the IV. I'll- I'll just finish up with your stitches," Nico couldn't believe his ears. The son of Apollo, stammering? Nico wondered why.

He shrugged it off as he settled more comfortably on the pillows as Will went through his supplies. Will came back to his other side with a glowing needle and thread. Magical stitches Nico guessed. Nico watched as Will rubbed the area around the claw marks with rubbing alcohol. Nico's eyelids started getting heavier as the draught kicked in. He started breathing heavier because he did not want to sleep, but he started to get pulled under. Will saw him breathing more heavily and squirming trying to get the IV out and looked at him in alarm.

"It's okay Nico! It's just a sleeping draught!" Will leaned across Nico to secure his arm to prevent him from removing the IV. That was the last image Nico saw before sleep claimed him.


	3. Chapter 3: Context

_Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate! Please review and leave suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Will's POV:

Nico's struggles stopped as the sleeping draught pulled him under. As he held the boys arm, he wondered why Nico looked so terrified to go to sleep. Probably because of nightmares, but the sleeping draught prevented that, unless the dreams were very, very disturbing. He made a mental note to talk to Clovis, the son of Hypnos, after he finished healing Nico.

He pulled his hand back from Nico's arm and checked the IV. It was still securely in place. He nodded to himself and focused on Nico's other arm. The werewolf claws had left some pretty deep wounds in the son of Hades. Since Nico had neglected to report to the infirmary until today, he knew there would be some pretty brutal scarring. Speaking of scars, Will looked at the ones on Nico's wrist. They appeared to have been made by a razor blade, but looked about a year old. Maybe Nico had stopped hurting himself, but judging what he had recently been through, Will definitely doubted it. He guessed that he would find similar, more recent scars elsewhere on Nico's body. Will sighed with concern. He hated seeing kids who thought this was the only way to cope. In Will's opinion, it was the worst thing you could do. The best thing to do was to talk to someone about what was troubling you, but Will guessed the son of Hades didn't open up too much. He could see how high his walls were.

He picked up the glowing thread and needle. The thread was infused with magic and a very rare piece of healing equipment that was only to be used under dire circumstances. Looking at Nico's arm, this was one of those circumstances. He started singing softly an Ancient Greek hymn to his father as he began to close up the gaping wounds. Singing was one of the many talents of Apollo's children that allowed patients to heal faster. He was focused on his work, but noticed Nico settle a little more comfortably on his bed as Will sang. A grin worked its way onto his face, as he sang just a little louder.

Will pulled the final stitch through Nico's wound and finished it up. He looked at the pale boys arm, satisfied with his handiwork. He grabbed nearby bandages and wrapped Nico's arm. He gently placed Nico's arm down. He stood and walked over to his table and medical cabinet and placed the thread and needle into a special pouch that helped the magical properties of the needle and thread to be retained. He closed the cabinet and threw away his gloves. He needed to examine the rest of Nico.

He turned back to sleeping son of Hades. While he was sleeping, Nico's face had relaxed. He looked so young and innocent. Will was reminded that he was only fourteen. When he was awake, Nico had the air of someone much more mature, who had seen a lot. He looked so peaceful sleeping, almost like an angel, as his last name suggested. Will smiled a little as he walked back over to Nico. He knew that Nico was unbelievably uncomfortable with it, but Will had to see the rest of his body. _Here goes nothing_. He unattached the IV drip for a moment, pulled Nico's upper body into a sitting position, and pulled the black t-shirt over Nico's head. He examined the torso of the boy. Will intook a breath. His torso was littered with scrapes and bruises, but that could be easily fixed with ambrosia. What Will was worried about was the fact that he could practically see Nico's ribs. He had not been eating, which concerned Will. Whether he had chosen not to eat, or had not been able to, the healer didn't know, but he could tell that whatever food he had had, it wasn't even a percentage of what he needed. Will would make sure to get actual food into the boy's body. He slowly leaned Nico forward, his head resting on the healer's shoulder, so he could look at his back. It also was littered was cuts and bruises and so many scars. Will was curious as to why there were so many scars, and if Nico had even gotten healed in the infirmary or even by a doctor before. Will started tracing some of the scars with his hands, which caused the sleeping boy to squirm a little, settling himself more comfortably on Will's shoulder. Will stopped and, still supporting Nico, grabbed a clean, white scrub shirt and pulled it over on Nico. Will then slowly laid the boy back onto the bed.

Nico sighed in his sleep, and rubbed his face into the pillows, as if looking for the warmth he had momentarily felt from Will. Will smiled at Nico, brushing the hair out of the sleeping boy's eyes. All the wounds and bruises who eventually start fading with the nectar and unicorn draught in the IV and would definitely start fading when Nico had some ambrosia when he woke up. Will reattached the IV drip and looked at the rest of Nico's body. He removed Nico's shoes and rolled up his pants. Or tried to. They were skinny jeans so they didn't go very far. Will had decided to wait to check on Nico's legs until Nico changed into something looser. With that, he tucked the boy under the covers, adjusted his pillows, and left Nico alone to sleep.

Dinner time came and went, but Will stayed in the infirmary and had his sibling bring him a meal from the Pavilion. He was sitting so he could see Nico, who was still dead to the world, and the rest of the patients. There were only two remaining, not including Nico, and they were set to check out for bed rest in their own cabins after the campers in charge of them discharged them tomorrow morning. The infirmary was silent, except for the light snores of a patient. Soon, Nico would be the only camper in the infirmary. That filled Will with butterflies. But, Nico had to stay in the infirmary. Completely for medical reasons. At the moment, he was the only healer in the infirmary as his siblings had all gone to dinner. And since he was head of his cabin, he was also head doctor in the infirmary. Whose silence was broken by the doors to the dark infirmary swinging open. Voices filled the room, as Will stood to tell whoever just came in to be quiet.

"If you don't mind, this is the infirmary and we have patients who need their rest, so stop talking," Will said quietly, but forcefully, as the demigods who had entered the room stopped. As they quieted down and stepped further into the infirmary into the light of the lamp, Will saw that it was Percy Jackson and Jason Grace. He sighed. "Visiting hours are over for the day, boys. It is past eight and the patients are all asleep. You can come back tomorrow morning. Goodnight," Will said, sternly. Percy and Jason exchanged a look before Jason looked back to Will.

"Hey man, I'm sorry; we are just here to check on Nico. He's our good friend and we want to make sure he's okay, you know? He's been through a lot," Jason said, pleadingly. Will saw his and Percy's sincerity in their eyes, so he relented.

"Fine, but do not wake him up under any circumstance, understand? He has not gotten a lot of sleep which is what he requires the most," Jason and Percy nodded their understanding and Will lead them to where Nico was sleeping. Jason sat in the chair by Nico's head and Percy stood on the other side, as if they were his bodyguards. Some hair had fallen into Nico's face and Jason brushed it out of the way. Will stomach twisted in jealousy until he realized that is was just a brotherly kind of thing.

"How long has he been out for?" Jason asked, concern dotting his voice.

"Seven or eight hours."

"And he's been asleep the whole time?" Percy asked, looking surprised. Will was taken aback.

"Yeah, why? Is that surprising?"

"Well, nightmares I mean. I mean his life hasn't exactly been easy these past couple of months so I'm surprised you actually got him to go to sleep. He's usually pretty reluctant. He stays awake for days at a time."

"Nightmares?" Will asked. Demigods had nightmares, he knew that, but he hadn't known anyone to have that severe of nightmares that made one dread to go to sleep. And to cause you to stay awake for days at a time. What would you have to see to cause that?

"Yeah, I mean he's been through hell and back alone. I mean I went through hell with Annabeth, but we saw a Misted, muted version of it. At one point I had been seriously hurt, and I saw Tartarus for what it truly was and..." Percy looked haunted, as though lost in a terrible memory. Jason reached over Nico and grabbed Percy's shoulder, asking if he was okay. Percy blinked, looked at Jason, and smiled, affirming he was okay. "And I saw it only for a few moments, and I almost went insane and I have the worst nightmares about it... But I'm guessing Nico saw it for what it truly was the whole entire time he was down there and I can't imagine that he is okay. I wish he would talk to us about it. He probably feels so alone, but he doesn't have to be."

Will had never heard Percy speak so seriously before. He truly defended his friends. Will was processing what Percy had said. To hell and back? Will knew Nico had a tough life, which could be hellish. But when he said that Annabeth and he went through it too... Oh my gods, Percy didn't mean hell metaphorically he meant...

"Wait, so, Nico went through Tartarus too, without you guys? Like on his own?" Jason and Percy looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah, you didn't know?" Jason asked, warily; as if he wasn't supposed to share that information. Will shook his head. No wonder Nico looked so broken. He had been to Tartarus, alone! Will heart broke for Nico as he imagined Nico going through Tartarus and seeing it for what it truly was. Pure terror.

"Um, no I didn't know. I don't really know anything about Nico, he won't open up. It kills me to see him hurting, but he won't let me help," as Will said this, he grabbed his hair in frustration. Percy and Jason exchanged yet another look. If they didn't have girlfriends, Will would have assumed they were dating, given all the looks they exchanged.

"That's just how Nico is, unfortunately, he won't let anyone help. But don't push him, okay? He's been through a lot and not just Tartarus..." Percy started explaining Nico's life story to Will.

How Nico had been born in the 1930s. How his mother had been killed. How he had been trapped in the Lotus Hotel for 70 years, then plopped into the 21st century, into a boarding school. Percy went onto explain about Dr. Thorne who had tried to kill Nico, and how Bianca, his sister, had left him to join the Hunters, though Will knew that part, as he was at camp at the time. Percy mentioned his promise to the son of Hades and how he broke that promise, and Nico lost his sister. Nico then ran away through the Labyrinth and travelled all around, by himself, eventually meeting Minos, who became his mentor. Minos had taught Nico the full extent of his powers, and eventually Nico assumed the role of Ghost King. Nico didn't even stay at Camp Half-Blood though and eventually went to the Underworld to be with his father. Will didn't think it could get any worse, but Percy kept going. About the River Styx. The Battle of Manhattan. Nico's further isolation at camp. Back to the Underworld to rescue Hazel. Camp Jupiter. Nico's search for the Doors of Death inside the Underworld. How Nico got sucked into Tartarus, though Jason or Percy didn't know what had happened to son of Hades down there. His kidnapping by the Giants. His rescue. His promise to get the Argo II to the House of Hades. Percy stops and looks to Jason, because he wasn't there for the rest of the journey, because of his side trip to Tartarus. Jason starts up talking about retrieving Diocletian's scepter, though he left out any details about what had happened in Croatia. Nico's further withdrawal into himself. Then, he explained how they got through the House of Hades to save Percy and Annabeth. He finished there.

"The rest, I don't know. He and Hedge and Reyna shadow travelled with the statue to Camp, but Nico or Reyna or Hedge for that matter haven't really talked about what happened during their traveling. All we know is that Nico almost killed himself with all the jumps he made." At some point during the tale, Will had collapsed in a chair with his head in his hands. The pain, internal and external, physical and emotional, that Nico had and was experiencing was unfathomable. He had gotten Nico's story out of Percy and Jason, but Will knew that he didn't even know half of it. He didn't know how Nico felt when he personally experienced it all. Or all of the terrible details of it. Although he didn't approve, he understood why the scars littered his wrist. He held back tears of sorrow for the poor son of Hades and looked back up at Jason and Percy, who both had grimaces on their face as if they wished to take away Nico's pain, just as much as Will wished he could. No one person should have to deal with that much pain and misery on their own. Will opened his mouth to say something, when the son of Hades stirred.


	4. Chapter 4: Dinner

_Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate! Please review and leave suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Nico's POV:

Nico had a dreamless sleep, which had been nice. He did have some influence over his dreams, but without the quest to distract him and with the memories of Tartarus weighting down on him, he could not control his dreams recently. Though tonight, because of the sleeping draught, he had just enjoyed a dreamless sleep. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he heard voices whispering above him.

"The rest, I don't know. He and Hedge and Reyna shadow travelled with the statue to Camp, but Nico or Reyna or Hedge for that matter haven't really talked about what happened during their traveling. All we know is that Nico almost killed himself with all the jumps he made." Jason's voice said to his right. So they were talking about him as he slept. Who was Jason telling though? Probably Will. He was sure he wouldn't, but if Jason had mentioned anything about what had happened in Croatia or his... past feelings towards Percy, Nico would obliterate him. He heard movement in front of him and decided to alert the others that he was awake to prevent any further conversation about him. He started moving as though he was waking up. His eyes fluttered open and he was surprised to see Jason and Percy standing over his head. He tried to push himself into a sitting position, scanning the room for Will who rushed over to him, pushing him back on the pillows.

"Slow down, Death Boy, you aren't going anywhere," Nico rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't trying to. I just wanted to sit up," With that, Will then shifted gears, and helped Nico sit up, adjusting the pillows behind him. "Will," Nico said, the blue orbs of the son of Apollo fixed onto him. "I can do it by myself." With that, Will cleared his throat, embarrassed. Behind Will, Nico saw Percy with a giant grin on his face, as if relishing in Nico's embarrassment. Nico sent a death glare his way. He just shook his head before speaking.

"How you feeling Nico? You seem to be very... pampered here," Nico mentally cursed Percy. He fell back against the pillows, putting his hands over his face. Through his fingers, he saw Will rummaging through his supplies, the back of his neck bright red with embarrassment from Percy's words. _Great,_ Nico thought _My old crush is trying to set me up. What are you playing at, Eros?_ Thinking about the god of love stirred up some dark thoughts in Nico, as he tried to focus on the conversation playing out in front of him.

"Oh, shut it, Perce. But seriously, Nico how are you? Your arm is bandaged, did you get better stitches?" Jason asked, seeing Nico's arm. Nico took his hands away from his face and looked at his arm. He unwrapped the bandage. The stitches looked good. Will had done a good job. He rewrapped it. Looking at his upper arm, he noticed his usual black shirt had been replaced by a white, scrub shirt. Which meant... Nico flushed red at the thought. Will had taken his shirt off.

"Are you okay, Nico? You just got really red," Percy asked. At that Will's head snapped up, eyes dotted with worry. Through gritted teeth, Nico responded.

"I'm fine, thanks," But Will apparently wanted to decide that for himself.

"Do you have a fever, Nico? Too much nectar in your IV?" Will hand reached out to touch Nico's forehead, but Nico flinched back. Will's hand hesitated, but he placed his hand on Nico's forehead. Nico felt like a child again. He rolled his eyes at being treated like a child, but missed the warmth of Will's hand when he moved it from his forehead. Jason and Percy had stopped giving him a hard time, to make sure he didn't have a fever.

"I'm fine!" Nico said forcefully.

"You don't have a fever, but you are freezing, Holy Hera, do you want another blanket?"

"I spend as much time with the dead as I do with the living so I have a lower body temperature than most. And no, I don't need another blanket, I'm fine." Nico explained. Once Jason and Percy saw that Nico was acting normally, their faces broke out into smiles.

"Good to see you, acting normal, Neeks," Percy said, hoping to get a rise out of him.

" _Don't call me Neeks_!" Nico was getting angry.

"I'm just messing with you, Nico, lighten up." Nico rolled his eyes.

"If you keep rolling your eyes like that, they are going to get stuck," Jason joked. Nico mentally face-palmed. _Kill me now_. Will came to his rescue.

"Okay, stop teasing my patient. It's only with my permission that you guys are even in here. Now, can you guy try not to strangle each other as I get one of my siblings to take the night shift with me?" Will looked at Jason and Percy. They both nodded.

"Yes sir, but haven't you been awake all day taking care of patients? Don't you need rest too, Will?" Nico saw Jason's brotherly side come out. Will looked at Jason.

"Thank you for your concern, but I won't rest until my patients are back to their normal strength," Nico watched as Will pulled out a tray full of food and ambrosia from the cabinet.

That must have been what he was working on while Jason and Percy had goaded Nico. He set the tray in front of Nico.

"Also, please make sure Nico eats a least a little of this and the ambrosia, while I'm gone. I'm going to refresh in the bathroom, and take a shower," Percy nodded. With one last glance at Nico, Will turned to leave the infirmary. From the door, a whisper shout came from the healer.

"And for gods sake, keep quiet!" Percy and Jason both chuckled for a moment, before they became focused on Nico. Percy grinned.

"So that's your type, huh?"

"Shut it, Jackson, I may be in a hospital bed, but I can annihilate you," he laughed.

"Yeah right! You couldn't beat me if you tried, Neeks,"

"Is that a challenge, kelp head?"

"Bring it on, Death Breath. You and me. Duel. As soon as you get out of here."

"You're on!" Nico accepted the challenge. Jason cleared his throat.

"Not to smash this budding bromance, but you have some food to eat Nico." Nico looked with dread at his meal. It was what looked like chicken with mac-and-cheese and an apple. On the side, was a baggie of ambrosia, though it looked like a brownie. Nico didn't really feel like eating, but he knew the two guards on either side of him would not let him skip it. Percy picked up the fork, with some mac-and-cheese on it.

"Here comes the cho-cho train, into the tunnel,"

"You have got to be kidding me." Nico said, and Percy took the opportunity to shove the fork into his mouth. By a reflex, Nico swallowed, though he cursed Percy for making him eat.

"Perce, stop it," With Jason's authoritative voice, Percy dropped the fork back onto Nico's plate. "Nico, are you okay?" Nico face was scrunched up in a grimace and he thought he must have looked as if he were in pain.

"I'm fine okay? I just really don't want to eat. I'm not comfortable with that right now," Jason searched his eyes for a reason.

"I know, Nico, but you heard what Will said. And I have a feeling you don't wanna make that kid mad, so can you at least try to eat some food," Nico reluctantly, agreed.

"Fine, but only a little. And you two are not doctoring me," _I have enough of that with Will around._ Though he didn't mind as much when it was Will.

Nico had managed to finish half of what was on his plate before pushing it away, not able to stomach any more food. His stomach was churning and he prayed that he wouldn't vomit. He swallowed down the ambrosia, which tasted like the pasta his mother used to cook for him and Bianca. Nico was surprised he even remembered what that tasted like. He had had his memories of Italy wiped away in the river Lethe, but Nico guessed they were slowly starting to come back.

Jason and Percy kept up light conversation with Nico, talking about the events of the day, and the ongoing search for Leo. Nico could see how strained Jason looked, with worry and sadness about losing his best friend. And although Percy looked happy, Nico saw right through his façade. Nico saw the raw pain Percy was experiencing from his time in Tartarus. His eyes, like Nico's probably did, looked shattered. Although he was doing a good job of hiding it, Nico could tell how much it affected Percy. Percy's hands, usually bursting with energy, were lying flat on his lap. His joking manner had an undertone of sadness. Nico couldn't imagine Percy's nightmares. He did have Annabeth with him during his journey, but that was just another way to hurt him. He probably dreamed of her being hurt, or worse, killed right before his eyes. Nico felt pity for the son of Poseidon. It was then he realized Jason had said something, and was looking for Nico for an answer.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't listening. What did you say?"

"I was just saying that Perce and I are going to go soon, we gotta get back to our cabins before curfew."

"Oh, okay then," Nico said, looking outside. It didn't matter. Everyone eventually always left him. It was dark out, the only light coming from the lamp within the infirmary and the waning moon. Although Nico had gotten eight hours of sleep, he was still exhausted.

"You should get some sleep, Nico. No pun intended, but you look dead on your feet," Percy said. _Eerie,_ Nico thought _, It was like Percy had read my thoughts._ To save Jason and Percy any concern, Nico decided to pretend to sleep.

"Yeah okay, I guess I will sleep," He settled more comfortably against the pillows. Jason looked relieved.

"We will leave you be then. We will just wait till Will comes back, then we will be off. We'll come see you tomorrow, okay?" Jason said. Nico nodded which prompted Jason and Percy to get up. They both stood guard in the opening in the dividers, waiting for Will to return. They turned off the lamp, leaving the infirmary in near darkness, though the moon flooded into the infirmary, giving a little illumination. Nico shut his eyes to give the impression that he was sleeping, though his mind was racing.

During the past ten minutes, Nico had listened to the whispered conversation between Jason and Percy about their concern for him. Suddenly their voices stopped as the door to the infirmary opened, spilling some light into the dark room, which Nico saw through his eye lids. Nico didn't open his eyes, but he heard two sets of footsteps. Will's, he assumed, and one of his siblings. He started talking in hushed tones with Jason.

"Did he eat?"

"Yeah, but not that much. He finished the ambrosia though,"

"Good, but I wish he had eaten more. He's all skin and bones," Will sounded worried. _Everyone always sounds so worried when talking about me_.

"Yeah, otherwise, he's been good. He didn't talk much. He settled in about ten minutes ago,' Percy whispered. Nico almost snorted. Apparently he was a better actor than he thought.

"Good, good," Nico heard Will coming over to him. He slowed his breathing, and controlled his heart rate. He almost flinched when he felt Will's warm hand encircle his wrist. He felt the son of Apollo take his pulse, before letting Nico go. Nico could smell the freshly washed hair of Will and gods did it smell good. "You guys better get going before curfew. We wouldn't want the patrol harpies to find you," Will chuckled. "Thanks for watching Nico for me. Kayla and I can handle it from here."

Jason and Percy murmured farewells and Nico heard the infirmary doors open and close again. He heard Kayla and Will checking on the other patients, and putting things away for the night. Nico opened his eyes, trying to keep himself awake. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and snapped his eyes shut. By the scent of him, it was Will again. Nico felt him leaning over his body, his head hovering above Nico's.

"You might have fooled Jason and Percy, but there's no fooling me, Death Boy," Will whispered, his lips centimeters away from Nico's ear. Nico squirmed a little, not expecting the healer to be so close. Will chuckled a little and continued. "I didn't say anything to them because I didn't want them to worry. Please try to get some sleep. Do you want a sleeping draught?" Nico shook his head and he heard Will bring his head up.

The bed creaked as Will sat down. Nico's heart started racing, as he wondered why Will had sat. The son of Apollo started singing in Ancient Greek. Nico suddenly felt a wave of peacefulness set over him. Will started running his fingers along Nico's back, under his shirt. Nico arched his back, but then relaxed into Will's touch, which was unbelievably soothing. Nico suddenly felt very sleepy as he sank deeper into the pillows. The voice of Will was like an angel singing, and Nico felt like he was five again, his mother singing him to sleep. With that as his final thought, Nico drifted to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5: Nightmares

_Warnings: mentions of nightmares and self-harm. Do not read if this upsets you,_

 _Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

* * *

Will's POV:

As he sang, Will noticed the son of Hades' breathing get slower and heavier. Will continued running his fingers along Nico's spine. Now Nico was usually uncomfortable with touching, but the hymn Will was singing cause people to relax, melting away any fears or worries. With the final verse, Nico finally fell asleep. Will's hand lingered on Nico's back. Finally, he removed his hand and checked Nico's pulse. Yup, he was dead to the world. Will sighed as he got up to check in with Kayla. He felt like he had accomplished something. He walked out of Nico's secluded corner, over to the desk Kayla was writing at, with a dim lamp giving her some light to write by. She looked up as he approached.

"Got him to sleep did you?" Will nodded. "Huh, you need some yourself, Will. You've been working nonstop."

"I'll sleep when my patients are healed," he said, stubbornly. Kayla looked at him, exasperated, and stood up.

"What good are you going to be to your patients if you get sick? I can watch Nico while you get some sleep. I know how concerned you are about your little Death Boy," Kayla smirked. Will turned red, but scowled at his sister.

"Oh shut it." Kayla steered him to an open bed, across from Nico's.

"Sleep. Now. I'll wake you up if there are any problems."

"Please wake me up when your shift ends at 2. Please Kayla?"

"Fine," she agreed. But Kayla had neglected to wake him up before, covering his shift as well.

"Pinky-promise?" He held out his finger.

"What are you, five?" Will pouted at her. She threw her hands up. "Fine, pinky-promise." With that, the deal was sealed, and Will kicked off his shoes, crawling into the mattress. As soon as his head hit the pillows, he was out like a light.

It seemed as soon as he went to sleep, he was being shaken awake.

"Wha-?" He asked, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He saw Kayla, standing above him, looking exhausted.

"It's 2am, your shift." With that, she collapsed on the bed next to him, and was snoring.

Will sat up, and stretched looking at the clock. 2am, on the nose. He swung his legs over the edge, and pulled his shoes back on. The infirmary floor had a tendency to be freezing at night. He pulled a blanket around his shoulders and grabbed his clipboard. He started his rounds around the infirmary. He readjusted the IV on one of the campers, who had managed to jostle it out of place. He jotted down some notes on his board. He checked the pulse of a tiny girl, dreaming away. He walked over to Nico's bed. What he saw shocked him. The son of Hades was shaking uncontrollably. His mouth was open in a silent scream. Tears were running down his face. The clipboard fell from Will's hand, and clattered loudly on the floor, but Will didn't care. He ran over to Nico's side. He started shaking him, trying to wake him up. But the boy wasn't responding.

"Nico?! Nico! Please, please wake up," He pleaded, but his cries were not answered, as the boy stayed asleep. He grabbed Nico's wrist, checking his pulse. His heart was racing and continued to get faster and faster. He pushed the hair out of Nico's eyes and felt the boy forehead. It was burning up with a fever. He brushed the tears from Nico's face. He continued calling Nico's name, tears of frustration running down his cheeks. "Nico, please, PLEASE, wake up. Doctor's orders! Death Boy? Please wake up!" He called for Kayla. "Kayla, wake up! Please, I need you," He heard his sister stir as the sound of his urgent voice. She raced over to his side.

"What's wro- holy Hera, what's happening?" She asked, horror lining her face as she saw Nico.

"I don't know! I guess he's-he's having a night-nightmare, but he won't wake up and he won't stop shaking. What do we do?!" Tears were flooding down Will's face. He was scared for the son of Hades and felt powerless to help him. He and Kayla tried to restrain him, by holding down his arms, but Nico fought back, throwing them off of him. Nico was acting like Will and Kayla were attacking him.

"Kayla," Will said in a deadly serious voice. "Get. Clovis. Now. He needs to get Nico out of this dream," With that, Kayla ran out of infirmary.

Will grabbed a sedative from the counter and stuck it into Nico's arm, but that only seemed to make it worse. Will started praying to his dad for help. Will grabbed Nico's wrist again, checking his pulse. It was weakening, almost as if the son of Hades was fading. Will's eyes shot to Nico's body to see what the problem was. Nico seemed to have trouble breathing. Will grabbed an oxygen mask from the cabinet, hooked it up, and placed it over Nico's nose and mouth, holding it there. Nico's breathing got steadier, but he was still shaking. Will was sobbing now, pleading Nico to wake up.

"Please, Nico, please. Dad, help me, please-" His final plead was cut off by the door to the infirmary slamming open. He looked up to see Kayla dragging a half-conscious Clovis. Will gasped with relief as they rushed over to Nico's side. Clovis woke up enough to see Nico shaking.

"Oh gods, I've seen this before. Sometimes nightmares are so bad, they give demigods panic attacks. And judging by Nico's nightmares, it's no wonder he is having one," Will felt a surge of rage go through him.

"Clovis, can you please just get him out of it?!" Clovis looked surprised at the anger in Will's voice, though Will didn't really care at the moment.

"I can try, hold on," he closed his eyes and grabbed Nico's hand. Nico stopped shaking as violently, and Clovis started shaking, as if they were experiencing the same thing. Clovis started breathing really heavily, his face tightening with fear. Clovis screamed and pulled his hand back from Nico, as if he had been burned. His eyes flew open, and they were filled with fear. He collapsed into a chair.

"Oh my gods, the things I saw. It's... It's... How is Nico even okay?" Clovis had tears running down his face. "I'm sorry, I couldn't get him out, I couldn't even see him... All I saw... Oh my gods-" The infirmary doors flew open again. Jason and Piper ran in, past the wide-eyed patients who had woken up because of the racket.

"We saw Kayla running in here with Clovis, and we thought it was Nico so we came as fast as we could," Jason said panting.

"Where were you two at 2 in the-" Kayla started, but Will cut her off.

"That doesn't matter now! I can't get Nico to wake up and it is really scaring me. Clovis saw what he was seeing, and he couldn't wake him up. Piper, do you think you could use your charmspeak?" She nodded, leaning over Nico.

"Wake up!" She said, forcefully. "Wake up, right now, Nico! You are only dreaming!"

Nico's eyes flew open and he sat up very quickly. Will sobbed with relief, still holding the mask to Nico's face as the son of Hades tried to get his breathing under control. He pushed Will's hand away and reached for the side table, with a shaking hand, as if looking for something. Tears continued to stream down Nico's face as he saw everyone looking at him. With a panicked expression. Nico leapt out of bed, barefoot, pushed past Piper and Jason, and ran out the infirmary doors.

"Nico, wait-" Jason and Will both called after him. Will locked eyes with Jason and they both sprinted after the son of Hades. Will was cursing under his breath. He should have known Nico would run and tried to secure him. Jason and Will pushed open the door to the Big House and scanned the camp grounds for Nico. They saw him sprinting across the camp, towards the woods.

"Nico, STOP!" Will screamed. But he was ignored by the boy who kept running. Will didn't know Nico even had that much strength at the moment. Jason flew up into the air, as Will ran after the son of Hades.

* * *

Nico's POV:

Nico's eyes flew open, as he heard Piper commanding him to wake up. He sat up; aware the Will was holding an oxygen mask to his face. The nightmare he had just had had been one of his worst memories from Tartarus. He pushed Will's hand away, and went to grab his razor blade, which he forgot, was not there. He noticed five pairs of concerned eyes looking at him, and he jumped out of bed, running out of the infirmary. He just really needed to be alone. He pushed out of the Big House, and out into the cold, nighttime air. As he ran, he looked for a place to hide. He locked his eyes onto the forest, and dashed for the cover under the trees. He heard the doors of the Big House slam open, as Will's voice rang across the silent night.

"Nico, STOP!"

But Nico ignored him, and kept running towards the wood. He was not about to go back in the infirmary and he was not going to sleep anytime soon. He knew Jason had started flying, but Nico had safely gotten under the cover of the trees. He kept tripping over roots and branches, but he kept pushing through. He didn't know for how long he ran, but when his heart was beating out of his chest, he stopped and took cover behind a giant tree. He got his breathing under control, and listened for sounds of pursuit. He heard Will Solace calling his name, but he didn't sound anywhere close to where Nico was. A shiver down Nico's neck, caused him to whip around. Jason had landed a few feet away, but had not seen Nico.

"Nico? Are you there?" Jason whispered. "Please, we just want to help you." As Jason was turning, about to see Nico, Nico closed his eyes and melted into the shadows.


	6. Chapter 6: Shadows

_Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Will POV:

Will continued running through the forest, calling Nico's name, and looking for any trace of the son of Hades. Nico seemed to have just vanished. Will stopped, fearing that Nico had attempted to shadow jump, but Will knew that Nico knew better, and was probably too weak and afraid to try. He continued his search.

* * *

Daylight broke, and Will was still scouring the wood. He had not yet found Nico. This was his fault. He had not secured the son of Hades and had not made Nico feel safe where he was. He cursed himself, and leaned against a tree, giving himself a break. The leaves overhead rustled, and Jason Grace spilled onto the forest floor.

"I can't find him anywhere! It's like he just vanished. It's my fault he got away... I...I should have stopped him before he had gotten out the door," Jason was beating himself up about this. Will jumped to reassure him.

"If it is anyone's fault, it is actually mine. As his doctor, I should have secured him before he woke. But, there's no use in playing the blame game, we just need to find Nico. Let's go."

"Will, stop, we need to report in with the others. Nico isn't in the forest or anywhere close to camp... I'm pretty sure he shadow-travelled." Terror overtook the son of Apollo. _No_ he thought.

"No, no, no! If he did, gods, he probably killed himself. He wasn't strong enough! Oh my gods, Jason! We have to find him!" Jason looked at Will, deadly serious.

"Where would he go?"

"The Underworld? His old home? I barely know Nico. We need to contact Hazel and Reyna. They probably know where he went." Will said. Jason brightened and said.

"That's a great idea! Let's get back to camp and tell Chiron, first though. Do you mind if I grab you so we can fly?" Will shook his head, wanting to get back to camp as soon as possible.

Jason grabbed Will by the upper arms and took off. Will and Jason soared high above the trees and over the camp. Camp activities were just getting started for the day. Jason started descending towards the Big House. As soon as Will's feet touched the ground, he sprinted inside, and into the rec room. Chiron had already assembled the head counselors of each cabin, and Coach Hedge was in there as well, eating ping-pong balls. Piper and Kayla must have woken up Chiron who then assembled the team, because the campers in the rec room looked like they had been awake for a while. There's was a map of Camp Half-Blood and the surrounding areas spread over the table, which the head counselors were pouring over, pointing out areas here and there. Everyone looked up as Will and Jason entered the room.

"Finally, we were about to send out a search party for you two," Kayla said. "No luck?" Will shook his head and everyone in the room let out a collective sigh.

"We sent out search parties in the forest and around the camp grounds, but so far nobody has found Nico," Chiron said. "Kayla told us all what happened. It's not either of your faults that Nico ran."

"We think that Nico shadow-travelled," Everyone who had heard about Nico's travels, looked concerned, and Coach Hedge cursed. "And we think that Reyna or Hazel might have a better idea than us of where he would have gone. Jason thinks we should contact them," Will explained, sitting in a chair between Kayla, his second in command, and Connor Stoll.

"That is a good idea," Annabeth said, her hands locked with Percy's.

"Yeah, that's what I said. Annabeth, can I borrow your cellphone? I'm going to call Reyna with the number she gave me," Jason asked, reaching out his hand. Annabeth looked reluctant. "Please? It's an emergency."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the phone, handing it to Jason. Jason then pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and dialed the number. He put the phone on speaker phone, and set it in the middle of the ping-pong table. While it was ringing, he pulled up a chair next to Piper. It rang three times before Reyna answered. They could hear the Roman demigods in the background and the sounds of a car being driven.

"Annabeth? You better have a good reason for calling me... We literally just left your camp yesterd-"

"Reyna, Nico's missing," The next thing they all heard was tires screeching, screaming demigods, and the opening and slamming of a car door.

"What do you mean missing?!" Reyna's voice was venomous. Will cut in.

"I was with Nico and he had-er- a dream last night, and he ran off, and we searched all night, but we think he shadow-jumped."

" _Maledicte eam_ ," Reyna cursed. "Weren't YOU supposed to be watching him? How did he get past you?" Reyna's voice sounded accusing as if it were Will's fault that Nico ran. Suddenly, Hazel's voice cut through.

"Reyna, what's going on? Who are you talking to?" Reyna put the phone on speaker, whispering to Hazel what was happening.

"We have looked everywhere on camp grounds for Nico. Any other ideas about where he could have gone?" Chiron asked.

"That's why we called Reyna and Hazel. Any idea where, besides camp, he could have shadow-travelled to?" Jason asked. Hazel sighed.

"Not any place he would feel comfortable, which after a nightmare he would want to feel safe. But if what Hedge and Reyna told me is true, Nico might not be alive if he truly had shadow-travelled-" Will cut her off.

"We really can't afford to think like that, Hazel."

"I know, I know, I was just thinking worst case scenario. Look, Reyna and I want to be there for Nico. Frank too. We are shadow-traveling over there now so we can help you look. We'll be right over. As soon as Reyna finds someone to drive," With that, the call ended. Minutes later, Hazel, Frank, and Reyna materialized on the table. Hazel looked surprised to be standing on the ping-pong table.

"Oops, I had meant to land us on the porch. Gods, I need to sit down," Frank caught her before she fell off the table. Reyna jumped off the table, looking around at the assembled demigods. Frank helped Hazel off the table and nodded to Jason and Percy. Frank grabbed a piece of ambrosia from his bag and feed it to Hazel. After swallowing, she looked up, more alert.

"Okay, so where have you looked?" With that, she, Frank, and Reyna got debriefed by the counselors. They started making strategy maps of where to start looking, and assigned different cabins to different areas. Suddenly, Connor Stoll spoke.

"Hey I don't mean to quash your strategies or anything, but I think I have an idea where Nico might be." That got the attention of everyone. All heads turned towards the son of Hermes. "So Hazel here said that Nico would go somewhere he was most comfortable and Nico probably wasn't thinking when he jumped. Honestly, for him, the most comfortable place, that would probably be at Camp. I know we all checked over the grounds, and Will said Nico disappeared in the forest, but did we miss the obvious? Did anyone actually check cabin 13? Someone probably opened the door and glanced in, but if Nico is a living shadow, could they have overlooked him?"

Silence fell over the room which was in itself an answer to the question. _Gods_ Will thought _How could they be so stupid?_ He jumped up, grabbing a medical bag and sprinted to the Hades Cabin. Jason and Percy closely followed with Reyna and Hazel and Kayla behind them. Will reached the cabin, and pounded on the door, screaming Nico's name, in case the son of Hades was just avoiding him. No answer. Will grabbed the handle and pushed. The door swung open. Will pushed through, scanning the dark cabin for the son of Hades. He carefully inspected the room- there! He saw the outline of Nico's body on the floor in a shadowy form. If anybody had just glanced in here, they would have missed him.

Will saw that Nico was fading fast and lurched over to him. He fell to his knees right besides Nico's shadowy form. He tried to grip Nico's wrist, but his hand passed through. Will gasped as he heard Percy curse behind him and a quiet "Oh gods! Not again!" from Reyna. Will tried again to grab the son of Hades, but his hand passed through again. Tears burned in Will's eyes. He could not lose another patient, especially Nico. As his heart rate climbed up, Will forced himself to relax by taking inventory. Although Nico was losing his form, Will didn't observe any other bruises or cuts on his body besides the ones he had already fixed. He looked around the room. The cabin was dark. That might have been one of the problems. He turned to the demigods assembled behind him. He saw the six of the seven from the quest as well as Reyna and Kayla. He started giving orders.

"Reyna, I need you to open the blinds and the windows and get some light and fresh air into here. Kayla, take Annabeth and Piper with you and grab as many of my medical supplies as you can, especially the unicorn draught. Frank and Percy, I need you to also go to the infirmary and get a stretcher. As soon as Nico gains his form back, we need to move him to the infirmary. Hazel, I need to tell me how close Nico is to completely fading into the Underworld. Jason, I need you to help me watch Nico and as soon as he gains even a little bit of form, grab him so I can try to get some ambrosia from my bag into him. Oh, and can someone going to the infirmary, tell Hedge to get his furry hindquarters over here? You all have your assignments. Go!"

Everyone sprang into action. Will assessed Nico, to see if he had gained any more form. He would need some more of his siblings and maybe even Chiron to help him, but he could worry about that when Nico actually gained form. Sunlight spilled into the room as Reyna opened the curtains, and steady breeze started circulating around. Will looked up to see Jason, kneeling down next to Nico across from where Will was perched. Hazel was sitting on the bed, her eyes closed and her hands out as if feeling out in front of her. Reyna was hovering nervously around Nico's head. Suddenly, Hazel let out a gasp.

"Will, I can feel Nico's life force down here. Oh my gosh, he's so close to fading completely," Her eyes flew open. "You have to help him, Will, before he is gone for good. Please, he's the only family I have left."

Will closed his eyes and let out a sigh, composing himself. He couldn't let Hazel down. And Will had admittedly always been attracted to the alluring mystery that the son of Hades always had surrounding him. He had truly grown to care for the boy.

He let out another breath and started rummaged through his bag. He pulled out more ambrosia as well as a canteen of nectar. He had a needle which was filled with a sedative as well as a bottle of unicorn draught. He also had bandages and a needle and thread. He grabbed an empty hypothermic needle and filled it with nectar and unicorn draught so he could get it into Nico as soon as possible. He looked up as Percy and Frank came back into the cabin with a stretcher and Coach Hedge behind them. Coach Hedge had his supplies for some woodland magic with him, nodded at Will and walked over to Jason's side. Jason was still intently watching Nico for any sign of life. Will looked back to Percy and Frank, who put the stretcher on the ground, next to Nico.

"Thank you. Frank, I need you to go get Chiron," Will finished as they sprinted right back out. They passed right by Annabeth, Piper, and Kayla who came in with arm loads of medical supplies. Will sighed in relief and started reaching for the IV when Jason cried out-

"He's solid, he's solid," -and grabbed Nico's arm.

"He is getting life back, but he's still on edge," Hazel shouted. Will sprang into action and plunged the needle into Nico's arm, to try and get some nectar into him.

"Kayla, I need you to set up the IV, now. Annabeth, would you mind giving me the oxygen mask. Jason, keep holding onto his arm, but I need your help to get him onto the stretcher. Coach, start doing your woodlandy magic thing." Will ordered, helping Jason get Nico onto the stretcher, though it was difficult because Nico hadn't gotten his full form yet.

Coach started taking out his 'dirt packets' as Will knew they had been referred to. Hedge then grabbed hold of Nico's shirt and pulled it off. Will was distracted as Kayla finally handed him the IV. He wrapped the tourniquet around Nico's arm and attached the IV. He looped the bag around the edge of one of the bed posts. He then looked towards Annabeth and fitted the mask over Nico's nose and mouth. Hedge, by then had pulled off Nico's pants and began to place his dirt packets, up and down Nico's legs.

"Hazel, status report?" Will asked.

"I can still feel Nico's life force waning, but I think he is out of danger for sinking into a shadow. I think you guys stabilized him into a solid form," Will let out a sigh of relief as Frank returned with Chiron.

There were about ten too many people in the cabin. Reyna and Hazel stood off to one side with Frank. Jason was getting jostled by Will's siblings, but he wasn't budging. Same with Coach Hedge. Chiron stood, overlooking the team around Nico's body, muttering words of healing in Ancient Greek. Annabeth and Piper were in the corner, not having anywhere else to go. Will needed to get the chaos under control.

"EVERYBODY LISTEN!" Everyone turned towards Will, who was usually so easy-going. What had surprise Will was the Hedge, even Chiron had heeded the order. The room went quiet. "Look, I know we all want to be here for Nico, but there are just too many people in here. We can't work if it is too crowded. Unless you are Kayla, Coach Hedge, or Chiron, please leave now. You can wait outside." With that, those not mentioned quietly shuffled out of the room, looking at Nico with concern. The door shut behind them and Will was left with his siblings and the two adults. Well, and Nico. Will breathed and said.

"Okay, give me an update. What's happening?" As he said this, he pulled on some gloves and worked to heal the son of Hades


	7. Chapter 7: Resting

_Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Jason's POV:

Jason understood that Will had a job to do, but he was still not very happy that he had gotten kicked out of the cabin. Thirty minutes passed. Percy and Annabeth grabbed hands as they sat on the front steps. Jason was pacing as Piper watched him. Reyna was leaning against a column, her eyes fixed on the door. Hazel was muttering under her breath, her eyes closed as Frank soothingly rubbed her back. An hour passed. Hedge came out muttering about needing more dirt packets, and galloped over to the woods. Ten minutes later, he reentered the cabin. A half an hour passed. Chiron came out of the cabin, saying there was nothing else he could do. Will followed him, looking surprised to see them all standing there. He told them that they should get some rest as Nico was no better, no worse. He said that Nico would understand if they weren't there when he woke up. Will looked worse for wear. He had bags under his eyes, and he looked thin as if he hadn't eaten all day. The usually sunny son of Apollo was drooping with exhaustion.

"Will, maybe you should get some sleep. You've been working all day and you spent the night looking for Nico," But Will just shook his head to Jason's statement.

"I'll rest when Nico wakes up. I'm only out here because Hedge made me, but I'm gonna go back in. Get some rest you guys, especially you Jason." Jason looked away pointedly. There was no way he was sleeping until Nico woke up. Will reentered the cabin and left the seven with bated breath.

Another hour passed. Everyone had gone back to their cabins to get some food and some sleep except Jason and Reyna. Although Hazel hadn't wanted to, Frank had dragged her to the infirmary to get some sleep as her cabin was being used as a hospital.

Finally, after three long hours, the door swung open. Kayla was holding the foot of the stretcher, Will carrying the other. Nico looked better. It was as if Coach Hedge had been trying to plant Nico. He was covered in dirt packets. Jason and Reyna rushed forward to grab whatever medical equipment they could. Will thanked them and explained that Nico would be better monitored in the infirmary. The party walked across camp, attracting the attention of many of the campers, who were shooed away by dryads and the head counselors.

They reached the infirmary doors. Hazel was sound asleep on a bed with Frank next to her, in a chair. He looked up when the doors had opened and rushed forward to help with anything he could. Will and Kayla brought Nico back to a separate room. As soon as they got everything rehooked and machines roaring to life, Will kicked everyone except Kayla out of the infirmary. Hedge told Jason that he had done everything he could and it was up to Will, Apollo, and the Fates now. With that happy thought, he and Reyna started pacing the floor outside the infirmary.

* * *

Will's POV:

Will was alone in the room with Nico. He was now fully responsible for Nico. Will did the final checks on the equipment. He readjusted the oxygen mask. He wiped off some of the excess dirt and attached heart monitor stickers to Nico's chest. He checked that the IV was securely in place. When everything met up to Will's standards, he collapsed into a chair. It had taken a lot of time, energy, and patience to get Nico as stable as they did. Will had been on edge of freaking out the entire time, but had managed to keep his cool. Nico had almost faded out of existence a couple of times, but they always brought him right back. Even so, Will could still feel the darkness inside Nico when he grabbed his hands. Will would have to work on expelling that as soon as Nico was strong enough. Will grabbed onto Nico's hand to check his levels, and kept holding onto. Will got comfortable in his chair, and settled his head against the mattress. He fell into a light sleep.

* * *

Nico's POV:

Nico's eyes fluttered open, but almost immediately closed. He tried again. Everything was blurry around him and his head hurt like crazy. He felt a warm, calming presence in the room. He couldn't tell who it was, but he felt safe in the room he was in. His hand was being held. He saw a pitcher of water and tried to reach out for it. Some machines by his head started beeping like crazy, and Nico's hand fell as it was too far away to reach. He was about to try again when he fell back into a deep sleep.

* * *

Will's POV:

Will's eyes fluttered open. He noticed that he was still grasping onto Nico's hand. He sat up feeling the mattress lining on his face. Yawning, Will looked towards the charts on Nico's heart monitor. He had a steady heart rate. Will yawned again, and accidentally brought Nico's hand to his face. He smiled and kissed the top of Nico's hand. He brought it down into his lap and began running circles into the son of Hades' hand. He began singing softly in Ancient Greek. He lost track of time as he just observed the boy. He was disturbed by a knocking at the door. Brandon, one of his siblings, popped his head in.

"Hey Will, Kayla sent me in here. She knows you won't go back to your cabin for sleep, but she wants you to go have dinner with everyone else okay? She says you have to stay out of the infirmary for at least an hour. I'll keep watch over Nico and come straight to you if there are any problems, okay?" Will nodded, too tired to argue.

He got up as Brandon came into the room and took his chair. Will walked through the infirmary and out the doors, noticing Jason and Reyna outside the doors, nodding off on each other. They had been there the entire day. Will sighed and knelt down next to them. He shook them awake. They both shot up, looking at Will. Will stood and started explaining.

"Nico is stable right now, so I am going to go get dinner. You two should come with me."

"Can we go see Nico?" Jason asked. Will shook his head.

"He is still too weak and he is really deep under for sleep. He is not going to have any visitors for a while. I'm sorry," Reyna opened her mouth to say something, but Jason elbowed her to stop her.

"Okay, fine we will go to dinner with you, but we are coming straight back here with you," Will agreed and the trio set off for the dining pavilion.

Will sat down with his table as Jason and Reyna joined the five at the Poseidon table. Hazel and Frank had left the infirmary and were sitting with them, looking concerned. Will saw Jason muttering something to them, glancing back at Will. Will assumed they were talking about how they were barred from the infirmary. The seven at the table all glanced at Will, who blushed in embarrassment. He couldn't allow any visitors to Nico, he was still too weak. He cleared his throat and looked down at his siblings. They were in a disagreement about what genre of music was the best. Will got a cheeseburger and fries on his plate. He burned half the fries in the pit, asking his father for assistance healing Nico. He sat back down and his siblings tried to include him in the conversation. Will was just too distracted worrying about Nico to participate. It took him thirty minutes to eat, and he knew Kayla wouldn't let him in the infirmary. He sauntered over to his cabin to grab a spare set of clothes. He walked over to the showers and relaxed once he got under the warm water.

He took a twenty minute shower, and took ten minutes to get ready and dried off. He put on another scrub shirt and some comfortable shorts. He donned his shoes, and he headed back over the infirmary. On his way there, he saw Brandon sitting at the dining pavilion. Brandon who was supposed to be watching over Nico. With an incredulous look on his face, Will walked over to his brother.

"Why aren't you in the infirmary? Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. I came out to get some food. Jason, Reyna, and Hazel are watching over Nico right now. But I didn't let in all of the seven- hey where are you going?"

Will had heard enough. He had told Jason and Reyna that they couldn't see Nico and they purposefully went against his request. Will was seething by the time he got to the Big House. He forced the door open and walked through the House. He rounded the corner and saw Annabeth, Piper, Percy, and Frank sitting there. When they heard his footsteps, they stood up about to ask Will something, but he shouldered through them, and pushed the infirmary doors wide open. They slammed against the wall and Kayla jumped at the desk she was sitting at. She saw Will's face and shrunk down into her seat. Will was guessing that she had authorized the visitors, not knowing it was against what Will had wanted. He stormed up the door where Nico was and slammed it open. Reyna, Hazel, and Jason jumped as the door hit the wall. They looked in horror as Will entered the room.

"I specifically told you that Nico could not have any visitors. And what do you do? You sneak into his room without my permission." Will was breathing heavily but he spoke in a calm voice. "I know you are worried about him, I am too, but he really needs to heal. And I am his healer so let me do my JOB!" The trio looked ashamed, but Will wasn't done. "Get out," he said in a scary calm voice. "Now!" The trio bolted from the room, the door shutting behind them.

Will's anger melted away as he collapsed into his chair. He checked all of Nico's vitals and adjusted his mask. He replaced the IV bag with a new one and started peeling off the dried dirt packets. When he was done with that, he grabbed for Nico's wrist, feeling for his pulse. He relaxed, Nico's wrist still in his hand. He let Nico's steady pulse lull him into sleep.

A beeping woke Will up. He lifted his head off the bed and checked the time. Midnight. He looked towards the heart monitor. Nico's heart was racing. He looked down towards the son of Hades. He had started thrashing in his sleep. Another nightmare. Will leaped into action he tried shaking Nico awake. He was budging. Will prepared a sedative that would stop Nico's thrashing and wake him up and plunged it into Nico's arm. The sedative worked this time and Nico relaxed. Will threw the syringe away looking at Nico. He was surprised to see that Nico's eyes were open.

"Nico?"


	8. Chapter 8: Truths

_Warnings: mentions of nightmares and self-harm. Please do not read if these themes upset you._

 _Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Nico's POV:

Nico went from one nightmare to another over and over again. He dreamed of melting into a shadow, and then he dreamed of Tartarus. He dreamed of being trapped in the Underworld. Then of Bianca. He remember having a really intense dream about Tartarus when sudden, a cool fluid flowed into him and whisked the dreams away. His eyes fluttered open and he found himself staring into a pair of bright blue eyes.

"Nico?" Will's musical voice asked. Nico groaned and felt a mask over his nose and mouth. He pushed it off, putting his hands over his face. "Are you okay? Do you feel okay? Do you remember-?" He held a hand up to stop the son of Apollo's rambling. It hurt his head.

"Water," he croaked out. "I need water."

Will leaped into action, grabbing the pitcher and a cup. He poured the water, some spilling over the edge and came over to Nico. He set the water on the bedside table and helped Nico sit up. Nico groaned with pain as he sat up. He noticed he had an IV in and had stickers on his chest from the heart monitor. He was covered in Hedge's dirt packets again and was only in his boxers. He blushed as Will secured him, holding his shoulder as Nico's heart beat faster. Will grabbed the glass of water and tilted it down Nico's throat. Nico swallowed gratefully and grabbed Will's hand, telling him to stop. Will slowly took his hand down, and Nico let his hand fall with Will's. Their hands hit the mattress together, as Nico looked into Will's eyes. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes before Will broke the silence.

"How do you feel?" Nico smirked.

"Like I've been through hell and back."

"Well haven't you?" Will asked. Nico laughed bitterly.

"You could say I have," An awkward silence fell over the room. Will broke it yet again.

"So are you hungry? Or do you want to go back to sleep?" Nico shook his head.

"I'm not very hungry, and I definitely do not want to go to sleep. Can I- wash these dirt packets off?" Will nodded.

"Of course, let me draw a warm bath and we can get you in there soon," Will left the room and ducked into the bathroom attached to the room. Nico heard water starting to run as Will turned the faucet on. He was in there as the water heated up and emerged a couple minutes later. Will had a towel in his hand and was wiping off the excess water off his hands. He grinned at Nico and started talking.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Will, I'm oka-" Nico started hacking.

Will's face tightened with concern. He strode over to Nico and gripped his shoulders as he finished coughing. Nico had tried to flinch, but had been coughing too hard. He handed Nico another glass of water, which he gratefully accepted. He took big gulps of water, and he finished the glass. Will took it from him, and grabbed a stethoscope. He asked Nico to take a deep breath as he placed the cool pad on his back. Will moved the pad to Nico's chest and asked him to repeat his breathing. Nico took deep breaths, but they really hurt his chest. Will took the stethoscope out of his ears, a worried look on his face.

"Are you having trouble breathing?" Nico opened his mouth to disagree, but started coughing again. Great. Will looked at him, with a small smile on his face. "Well that's an answer to my question. I'm going to get you started on a ventilator. It's smaller than the mask. It will help you breath." Nico nodded his approval as Will prepared his supplies.

Nico observed the son of Apollo. He looked exhausted. Nico wondered when the last time he had gotten an undisturbed sleep was. Nico knew that Will was his healer, but had he been with him the whole time. Nico blushed, feeling like that there were people way more important than him that Will could be helping. Still, Nico was glad that Will was helping to heal him.

Even though he still felt like crap, he really wanted to go back to his cabin and just be alone. He had refrained so far, but he knew that Will would bring up his nightmare and Nico's escape from the infirmary, and Nico dreaded talking about that. That was his personal business and he wanted to keep it that way. Will had disturbed Nico's thought process as he walked up with some tubes in his hand. He explained that he had to loop it around Nico's head. Nico stiffen at first, but allowed Will to insert the nubbins inside his nostrils and tuck the tubes around his ears, tying in the back. Nico suddenly found it a lot easier to breath. He took in a deep breath and Will smiled in relief. Will took out the IV and the heart monitor. He walked back into the bathroom to check the bathtub. The water was turned off and Will walked back into the room.

"The bath is ready. We are going to get all this dirt off you in the shower first. You ready?" Nico nodded, putting his feet on the floor.

He stood up, and almost crumbled to the floor. Will ran up to catch him. Nico stiffen as he felt Will's muscular arms wrap around him. Will secured him and helped him stand. Will grabbed the cart attached to the ventilator and helped Nico stumble to the bathroom. The bathroom was white and had a huge bathtub in the middle of it. Off to the side there was a shower running. Both boys stumbled over to it. Nico walked into the shower, removed the ventilator and held the wall as the hot water melted away the dirt packets. He stood under the hot water for about five minutes. He brushed the remaining dirt off. Will turned the water off and gave a towel to Nico. He helped Nico out of the shower and into the tub. Nico, thankfully, was still in his boxers. Carefully, Will helped Nico sink into the tub. Nico let out a sigh of relief as the warm water seeped into his skin. He closed his eyes and let his head rest against the edge of the tub. Will reinserted the ventilator while Nico relaxed. Will was messing around in the cabinets, but Nico was too comfortable to care. He felt Will standing to the side of him. He opened one eye as Will started talking.

"Here's some shampoo and conditioner and soap for when you want to get cleaned off. I'll just be in the other room if you need me." Will smiled and ducked out of the room. Nico settled more comfortably in the tub, and felt himself drift into a light sleep.

* * *

Will's POV:

Will had left Nico in the bathroom a half an hour ago and he had not heard any noises. He reentered the bathroom to see Nico dozing in the tub. A small smile crept onto Will's features as he moved to get the boy out of the tub. Before he could, Nico grabbed his wrist. He looked towards Nico's face and saw the boy looking at him.

"Sorry, I thought you wanted to sleep and I was going to get you to bed," Nico cleared his throat, and said he still needed to wash off. Will nodded his understanding and walked out of the bathroom. A couple minutes later, he heard Nico's voice call for him. He peeked into the bathroom, his face red, tears of frustration leaking from his eyes. Will's face fell and walked over to Nico.

"What's wrong?" The son of Hades started whispering. Will had to lean in to hear him.

"I can't- I can't- I'm not strong enough to-" he trailed off. Will understood. He needed help washing his body. His heart broke yet again. He felt for Nico. He felt so weak that he needed help to wash himself.

"It's okay, we all need help sometimes." Will grabbed the shampoo as Nico sat up.

Will started massaging the shampoo into Nico's black locks. Nico was visibly tense at first, but then relaxed as Will worked out any knots and tangles. Before he began conditioning, he grabbed the detachable shower head. He turned it on and washed away any trace of suds from Nico's hair. Nico let out a sigh of relief. He sat up straighter as Will moved onto conditioner. He scrubbed Nico's head and made sure to get out any grime. He soon finished conditioning and washed Nico's head again.

He told Nico to brace himself as he took the soap to his back. Nico arched his back away from Will when he first felt the soap bar touch his back, but Will managed to get him to lean back, though he was very tense. He scrubbed away any trace of dirt and lightly brushed over the past scars. He turned Nico around and started working on his chest. He scrubbed away the grime and noticed the almost noticeable abs on the son of Hades. With the right amount of nutrition and training, Nico could be very fit. Not that he wasn't already; just more fit.

He shook these thoughts away as he finished rubbing away the dirt. He grabbed Nico's arm, which surprised him and he tried to back away, but Will kept a firm grip on him. He removed his bandages and looked at the werewolf claw marks. They were healing well. He placed the bandages in the trash, and lightly washed Nico's mutilated arms. He sighed as he passed over the scars on his wrist again. He really needed to bring it up with Nico. He asked Nico if it was okay and started draining the tub. He gave Nico the soap bar to wash his legs. He finished up just as the last of the water funneled out. Will helped him stand and tried to get him over the side of the tub. Nico was too weak so Will just scooped him in his arms and swung him over the side. Will did it so quickly that Nico hadn't been able to protest, though he was shaking a little now. Will grabbed a dry towel and started toweling the boy off. He thought now would be as good as any to bring up the scars on his wrists.

"Hey, so, Nico while I was taking care of your arms, I noticed something on your wrist," Nico tensed, as if expecting the question. Will prepared himself as he was toweling off Nico's upper legs. "I saw little- Holy Hera, Nico, what are these?!"

The insides of Nico's thighs were ravaged with little cuts. He looked into the eyes of the son of Hades. They gained eye contact, but Nico looked away. Will finished toweling him off and dragged him to his room. While they had been in the bathroom, a nymph had changed Nico's sheets so they weren't covered in dirt. Will pushed Nico lightly onto the clean bed and sat down in a chair. He began closely examining the scars. He saw that they had been made with a razor blade. Self-made. And some of them were deep.

He looked at Nico with anguish. "I asked you a question, what are these?!" Nico pushed Will away, turning away from him.

"I think you know. Now if you are going to give me crap about them, I'll just leave," he moved to get up, but Will intercepted him, his hands on his shoulders.

"You are not going anywhere! You are not strong enough-"

"Yeah, I'm not strong enough, that's why I do this. Now you are getting it," Nico said, emotionally, tears on the verge of falling. He shrugged Will's hands off and began pacing. Will's heart went out to him.

"Nico, I didn't mean it like tha-"

"Nobody ever does! They tell me to take care of myself and not overexert my powers and whatever. But, I am a child of the Big Three and I am expected to be this awe-inspiring demigod with cosmic powers. But I am not. I am alone. I can't control half of my powers. I used my powers to murder people in cold blood. And I can't use my powers to bring my sister ba- and I couldn't use my powers to get myself out of Tartarus. My powers only made me see it for what it truly was," his voice cracked at this point. Will opened his mouth to say something, but Nico was on a roll. "And when I do successfully use my powers, I terrify the living crap out of everyone and they end up hating me. They are scared of me, but I am the most scared of me. I killed Octavian, who may have inadvertently killed Leo. You should hate me. Everyone hates me, so no one would really care if I was dead-"

"Stop," Will's quiet voice stopped Nico's speech. Will understood that Nico had needed to let out all the emotions that he had been experiencing the past few days, and Will was glad that Nico had shared instead of keeping it bottled up, and running away, but Will had to stop him because he was getting too worked up. "Let me make something very clear. You are most certainly not alone. Just earlier I had to kick your friends out of the infirmary after they snuck in and I had told them not to. You are also not alone in dealing with your problem. There are a lot of people willing to help you if you just let them. You can't just run away and say you don't want to talk about it. I understand you have been through hell and back, but you are not going to get better until you talk about what you went through. And nobody wants you dead. And about killing, I have killed before too. I- a lot of people do not want you dead. I- we all love you and care about you. I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to help you in any way I can. Whether you need to have something stitched up or to vent, I am here for you. We are here for you. You are not alone!" Will finished, breathing heavily. He had wanted to say that to the son of Hades for a long time. Nico was speechless. He opened his mouth, and closed it again. He then looked as though he decided what he wanted to say.

"Whatever, Solace. I am not having this conversation with you," Will mentally rolled his eyes.

"You will, one day. You will be able to see that you can trust me and I can help you." Will stated, matter of factly. Nico rolled his eyes and turned away.

He continued looking at Nico's thighs. They were littered with cuts. Will's face dropped as he saw how many there were. Will lightly ran his gloveless hand over the scarred tissue. Nico tensed and tried to scoot away, but Will held him in place. Nico continued to struggle, and Will looked up at him, giving him his best evil eye. Nico stopped, surprised to see the anger in Will's eyes. Will looked back down and began muttering a healing spell under his breath. He moved his fingers across Nico's thighs and the cuts slowly started to fade to light scars. Will moved his hands to Nico's wrist and did the same. Will moved his hands back onto Nico's thighs and looked at the boy. Nico looked shocked.

"I just gave you a clean slate and a second chance. Please don't mess it up," Will quietly said.

He felt a little light headed. It has taken a lot of energy to heal those scars as there were a lot of them. He slowly removed his hands and sat down in the chair. He took his head in his hands and tried to get some control back. He was shaking and felt light headed. He took deep breaths. He felt a tentative hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Nico looking at him, his hand outstretched.

"Thank you, Will. For everything," If Will hadn't been looking at Nico, he wouldn't have believed that he had said it. He nodded at Nico. Nico smiled a little and leaned back. "You can... er... Finish your examination now. I won't be a problem." Will slowly got up, grabbed a square of ambrosia and swallowed it down. He felt stronger as he looked to Nico. He pulled on some gloves and started looking Nico over.

Will finished his examination up quickly. He grabbed a warm sweater, gym shorts, and new underwear for Nico to wear. Nico took it and locked himself in the bathroom, changing. He came out looking down at the sweater with an incredulous look on his face. Will laughed as he saw the son of Hades in a sweater. He grabbed Nico's arm and put him back in bed. He checked the time. It was already 2am. He prepared another IV with enough nutrition to last him until morning. He inserted it into Nico. He didn't tell Nico, but he had spiked it with a sleeping draught so Nico could get some undisturbed sleep. As the liquid entered his body, Nico's eyes started dropping.

"No, Will, no, I don't want to, please don't make me sleep, please-" his pleas were cut short as he slumped back onto the pillows. Will sighed and turned the light off. He quietly shut the door and walked into the dark infirmary. One of his siblings was sitting at the desk and nodded over to him when he saw him. Will pushed the infirmary doors open and saw Reyna, Jason, and Hazel as sleeping on the floor as if they were guard dogs. They had been there since they had been kicked out. Will sighed and whispered their names. They all shot up and looked at Will. They got to their feet and looked prepared to run, but Will stopped them.

"Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. I know I freaked you guys out, but Nico needed his space. He woke up around midnight and managed to shower and get back to bed. It's about two now. Now, since he's awake, can you all please go get some sleep yourselves? You all are dead on your feet," They all looked reluctant to leave. "What if I told you, you guys can sleep in the infirmary?" They looked more satisfied with that option so Will led them inside. He pointed to three open beds. Reyna and Hazel all but collapsed into them, but Jason was still standing at Will's side. He turned to the son of Jupiter.

"What's up?" Jason bit his lip and adjusted his glasses.

"I still really wanna see- is Nico okay? Physically? And you know, like mentally? Like... had he told you anything?" It was now Will's turn to bite his lip. He didn't know how much Jason knew and if Nico wanted his secret out. He did a judge of character and figured Jason had a right to know. He would never use it against Nico.

"Well physically, yes he is healing. He has a lot of injuries- injuries that had never been looked at before. Or healed. And mentally, well I don't really know. He talked to me for a bit about his hardships. He was very emotional. And I have noticed that some of his emotions can cause some of his injuries, if you understand me." Jason looked at Will in confusion, his eyebrows furrowed. Then he realized what exactly Will was saying. His face dropped in horror.

"Wait- no, Will, please tell me it isn't true! No, not Nico. He couldn't, he wouldn't- Would he?"

"Holy Hephaestus, Jason, I saw it. It is so bad, my gods. How did it get so bad without anyone noticing?"

"Well Nico had been alone for a while and I can't imagine what Tartarus must have done to him, but- how bad?"

"Bad enough that even with nectar and ambrosia and even a magic spell, the scars didn't completely fade. His thighs and wrists were littered with them," Jason picked up on what Will was implying and put his head in his hands.

"I honestly can't say I'm that surprised, considering his life, but Will we have got to help him."

"I know, I know and we will, but please keep this between us, okay? Don't say anything to him or anyone else. Nico doesn't need any more attention or crap from people."

"Of course, I'm not stupid. Gods, I just wish I had known sooner."

"Me too, Grace, me too," With that Jason padded over to one of the available beds and Will back to Nico's room. Nico was in a deep sleep. Will attached the heart monitor to Nico, so he could keep an eye on him through the night. Resting his head on the side of Nico's bed, Will fell asleep.


	9. Chapter 9: Visitors

_Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Nico's POV:

Sunlight streamed into the room and danced across Nico's eyelids. His eyes slid open to a sun-filled room. He felt a weight pressing down on his chest. It wasn't uncomfortable. Just the opposite. It was comforting and brought him solace. Solace. He looked down and saw a blond mop of hair. Will Solace. Nico blushed and heard the heart monitor by his head start to beep faster. He looked in wonder at the son of Apollo. Will should have hated him. Nico had yelled at him and told him all the horrible parts of himself. He had seen Nico's scars. He had watched Nico let Octavian kill himself. _You are disgusting for letting Octavian kill himself_ he thought _. And even more so for killing Bryce Lawrence- Stop Nico. Not here. Not now_.

Nico sighed and put his hands over his face, trying to relax himself. He was surprised Will hadn't woke up. Then again, Will had been up for most of the night caring for Nico. Nico checked the clock. 7 am. Nico placed his hand on Will's head whispering Will's name. Will started to move, but only to nestle further into Nico's chest and his hand. Nico froze, wanting to throw Will off, but he refrained. The son of Apollo needed some sleep. Nico started playing with Will's hair. It was smooth and so golden. He smiled and then immediately felt ashamed of himself. He shouldn't be thinking this about Will. Or any guy. It was unnatural as he started to remember his mother telling him many times. And the society he grew up in told him that too. Although his memories had been washed away in Lethe, as he got older, they started to come back. But, no one was there so he knotted his fingers in Will's locks. Will sighed a content sigh in his self and rolled into Nico's hand. Nico smiled. He continued running his fingers through Will's hair and eventually lost track of time. Will started to stir awake. Nico's hand dropped and he pretended to be asleep. Will's head came off Nico's chest and he let out a whispered.

"Schist." Will must have meant not to fall asleep, especially on his patient. The next thing Nico knew, Will's hand was under his sweater, checking the stickers from the heart monitors. Nico tensed, not appreciating Will's touch, and Will's hand froze. He slowly removed it and checked Nico's pulse. Nico willed himself to relax. He felt his heart slow down and Will's hand was on his wrist. He held it there for a moment or two and then started tracing the fading scars littering his wrist.

"Oh, Nico, what am I going to do with you? Just let me in, let me help," Will pleaded, not aware that Nico was wide awake. Nico's hand dropped and Will removed the IV from his other arm. Nico suddenly heard footsteps and a knock at the door.

"C'mon in, quietly," Will said. Someone opened the door and Nico heard a voice issuing from the direction of the door.

"Morning, Will. Do you want to go down to the pavilion and grab some food for Nico? I'll keep the door open and keep an eye on him," a girl's voice said. Must be one of the Apollo kids. Will's voice sounded in the quiet room.

"Yeah, that would be great. Um, make sure none of the seven sneak into here, okay? I don't want another fiasco like yesterday." Nico heard footsteps and the door closed.

He was alone. He let out a breath and continued pondering the son of Apollo. Will was being unbelievably nice to him. Why though? Because he liked Nico? Will would be disgusted and never want to see Nico again if he knew that he was gay. Nico couldn't let Will find out his secret. He calmed himself down as he heard the door to his room open. It wasn't Will's footsteps so it must have been one of his siblings. They started moving around in the cabinets so Nico guessed that was cleaning up everything. He listened to the kid of Apollo cleaning everything up. About five minutes later, another pair of footsteps entered the room and with them came Will's voice.

"He's still asleep then?" He asked his sibling. They must have nodded. "Good he needs it, but I have to wake him up. He needs food more than sleep right now," Nico felt a tray being placed across his lap. He heard the second set of footsteps leaving the room, closing the door.

"Wake up, Nico," Will murmured, lightly shaking Nico awake. Nico started moving as if he was just waking up. His eyes fluttered open to see Will's blue orbs centimeters away. The son of Apollo's face broke out into a huge grin.

"Good morning, Death Boy."

"Don't call me that!" Nico said, sitting up and looking at the tray in front of him.

"Okay, fine. Good morning, Sunshine!" Nico growled at him, and Will laughed which sent the butterflies in Nico's stomach flying. He pushed them down and looked at his plate. It was filled with eggs, some toast, and bacon as well as a glass of orange juice. And of course, a tiny square of ambrosia. "There you go, breakfast!" Will said, excitedly. "Eat up! You have to get some meat on those bones!" Nico looked at the food in disgust.

He really did not want to eat. He dreaded eating and was never very hungry. But to satisfy Will, he took a bite of the eggs. He swallowed them, grimacing at the feel of food down his throat. Will's face lit up with concern, but Nico waved him off, saying he had just swallowed weirdly. Will smiled.

"Okay good, now you aren't doing anything until you finish everything on your plate. Maybe, then, you can have some visitors." Nico dreaded finishing his whole plate. There was a lot of food on the plate. He wouldn't be able to finish it even if he had full strength. He took another bite, which he struggled to swallow down. He managed that and finished the rest of the scrambled eggs.

He was so full, but Will was pressing him to finish the plate. With dread, he bit into the bacon. He hadn't had meat in forever. And that was the breaking point. The food started making its way back up his throat. He pushed past Will and ran into the bathroom. He managed to make it to the toilet just in time. He was hunched over the toilet as he expelled all the contents of his stomach. When he finally stopped, he noticed a hand rubbing his back. Will. Will had watched him spill his guts out. Gross. Nico sat up, wiping off his chin. He looked at Will who handed him a glass of water.

"Gods, Nico, I'm so sorry. I didn't know that you couldn't handle it. I'm so sorry." Nico waved him away, saying it was fine. But, it wasn't. Nico felt awful. He wished he hadn't had eaten. He felt sick to his stomach now and couldn't even think about eating without his throat and stomach protesting. He shakily stood and made his way back to his bed. He sunk into it and Will followed him back into the room. Nico wouldn't meet Will's eyes.

"Nico, I am sorry about that. Now I know you don't want to, but could you please at least eat your toast. You need to have something in your stomach if we are to give you anymore ambrosia," Nico didn't even know if he could stomach ambrosia. He nodded meekly. Will smiled a small smile. "Okay, good. You eat your toast and I'll get your friends. They have been outside all morning." Will walked outside the room. He shut the door.

As Nico heard his footstep receding, he stood up. He grabbed the toast, and ripped three fourths of it off. He needed it to look like he had eaten some of it, not just thrown it away. He placed the fourth of toast on his plate and took the ambrosia out of the bag. He took the remaining toast and ambrosia and wrapped them in toilet paper. He threw it in the trash and walked back to his bed. He grabbed the orange juice and pour it down the sink drain. He climbed back into bed, waiting for his friends to arrive.

Two minutes later, he heard a thundering of footsteps heading to his door. He braced himself as eight demigods spilled into the room. Nico was surprised to see Reyna, Frank, and Hazel. Then again, if he really had almost destroyed himself shadow travelling, he wasn't surprised they had showed up. Percy and Annabeth were holding hands, as were Jason and Piper. Will came up in the back, his arms crossed as if regretting his decision to let everyone in the room. There was a presence missing and everyone felt it. Leo. Nico could feel the sadness emulating from the group. Jason and Piper looked crushed, though it was hidden with their smiles. Percy and Annabeth were already broken from Tartarus, Leo's death adding insult to injury. Hazel and Frank just looked as if it was their fault because they had let Leo do it. But they hid it well, though Nico was an expert at reading people. Now Reyna didn't look too upset, as she had lost so many good soldiers before, she had stopped keeping count. Nico promised himself that once he was free of this hell, he would be in the Underworld, searching for Leo. Nico looked at Will, who was standing in the doorway, looking awkward. He had a look on his face and a feeling emulating from him. A look and feeling that Nico had mastered over the years. Not feeling part of something. Alone. Excluded.

Nico's heart went out to him and he was about to say something when he found himself looking into Reyna's concerned eyes. "Hey, Nico, you doing okay?" Nico nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Good, then I won't feel bad about doing this," Nico felt a hand slap across his face. "That's what you get for freaking shadow jumping when you aren't strong enough, you imbecile! What in Hades name were you thinking?" Reyna's slap left Nico's face stinging. He brought his hand to his face, rubbing it indignantly, giving Reyna a death glare. She crossed her arms over her chest, and met his death glare with a scorching look on her features. Nico looked to Jason for aid.

"Hey man, don't look at me. Reyna's right! You were pretty idiotic to do that," Nico looked towards Will.

"I would have slapped you too, but it's against my policy to beat up a patient. Reyna had every right to do that. You scared the living schist out of all of us! You deserve worse than a slap for disappearing on us like that." Will stated calmly. Nico felt betrayed and collapsed against his pillows. _Me against the world_. He groaned and sat back up. Jason's eyes were on him.

"You never answered Reyna's question. What the hell were you thinking, shadow traveling like that when you weren't strong enough? You could have melted into a shadow." The son of Jupiter asked. Jason looked more worried for Nico than usual and he wondered why. What if Will had told him about his scars? Nico calmed himself down, by assuring himself that Will wouldn't betray his trust and believing Will would have some patient-confidentiality.

"If you guys are just here to interrogate me, you can leave," Jason wasn't buying it.

"Answer the question, Nico!" Nico was most definitely not going to answer the question. Even if he did, he wouldn't answer truthfully. He turned away from Jason, not replying. Jason sighed.

"You'll eventually tell me," _Fat chance of that, Sparky_ , Nico thought.

"Anyway, we came to check on you. How are you, honestly?" Hazel asked, grabbing her brother's hand. Nico didn't flinch, only because it was Hazel.

"I'm fine," Will scoffed. The seven in the room turned to look at him. "Oh, don't lie Nico, you feel awful and you know it!"

"I'm just tired, that's all," Nico said, giving Will a look. Will must have understood because he kept his mouth shut. Nico was good with looks like that. He could get his point across just fine. The rest of the seven looked back at him. They could tell he was lying, but they didn't press it. They started talking about what had happened at camp the past couple of days and the activities for the rest of the day. They did all the talking so Nico just relaxed.


	10. Chapter 10: Space

_Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Will's POV:

Will watched as the seven demigods interacted with Nico. He could have sworn a small smile on the son of Hades face a couple of times. Will checked the time. It was already 9. Will had woken up at 8 and gotten food into Nico by 8:15. Nico's guest had already been in there for 45 minutes. Well, it was time for Will to get back to work. He ducked into the bathroom to clean it. He closed the door behind him, but soon heard it open and close again. He turned to see Jason standing in the bathroom.

"Hey Will, I know we talked last night, but, how is Nico? Did he have any nightmares? Did he eat something?" Will sighed, sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"He slept through the night and the sleeping draught kept the nightmares away. He slept fine last night. And this morning, well he ate something, but it all came up again. How much did he eat on the Argo II?"

"Not much, I mean he did survive for a week just on pomegranate seeds so his stomach must have shrunk, but he barely ate any afterwards."

"Yeah, I was worried about that. I made him eat toast and ambrosia, but if what you tell me is true and I know Nico..." Will walked over to the garbage can. Lo and behold. "Yep, his food is in here. He's not eating at all. And now he's avoided eating ambrosia..." Will didn't finish the thought. Nico really needed food and ambrosia. If Nico was now refusing the treatment of ambrosia... Did Nico even want to be healed? Jason shook his head sadly.

"We gotta make sure he eats lunch; do you think he could eat with us in the Mess Hall? Just for an hour? We will have him right back here! He just might be more comfortable eating out there," Will nodded.

"Just make sure he eats and doesn't slip away. I have a feeling if he gets away, he won't want to come back to the infirmary," Jason nodded, a grin spreading on his features.

"No, of course not. Great! Okay, I better get out before the others wonder where I am. Thanks Will!" With that, Jason opened and closed the door again.

Will looked at the crumpled food in his hands. _Oh, Nico_ he thought _What am I going to do with you?_ Will finished cleaning the bathroom and slipped out. The group was still joking around with Nico, who looked a bit overwhelmed. Will interrupted.

"Hey guys, so I know you want to keep visiting, but Nico needs his space. You guys can come around noon and drag him to lunch so long as he returns by two." Everyone agreed, and then all filed out, bidding farewell to Nico. Nico looked relieved to find the room empty again. "And you are going to lunch, Nico, I saw where your breakfast ended up." Nico turned red and looked down at the mattress. "Do you even want to get better? Or do you want to be healed? Because you are making it hard for yourself if you keep refusing food and throwing out the medicine I give you."

Nico whispered something under his breath, but it was in Italian. " _Sono troppo rotto per ottenere una migliore e anche da solo,"_

Will wasn't playing around _._ _"_ What did you say, Nico?" The son of Hades cleared his throat. Will guessed Nico hadn't expected to hear him, but Will had super sensitive hearing being a son of Apollo.

"I said, of course, why wouldn't I want to get better?" Will had a feeling that's not what the boy had said, but he let it drop, seeing the look on Nico's face.

"Okay, fine, then what do you want to do? Eat, sleep?"

"Can I just be left alone? I really just need some space from people for now." Will sighed, not wanting to let the boy out of his sight, considering the scars on his body, but he knew that if he pushed his luck, Nico would run.

"Fine, but you have to promise not to run off or do anything stupid," Nico nodded and Will started to walk out of the room. "Just call me if you need anything." With a final look at him, Will shut the door.

* * *

It was ten o'clock. He was returning to the infirmary. Will had spent the day, in and out of the infirmary. He had slept in his cabin from 9:30 till 12 and had checked Nico before he went to lunch. He worked in the infirmary until Nico returned at two. With hushed tones, Jason informed that Nico had eaten a little, but while everyone's backs were turned (except Jason's, who had caught him) pushed half his plate into the fire as an offering to his father. Will had sighed, saying he would put another IV into Nico. Nico couldn't spend the rest of his life getting food from a tube though.

For the rest of the day, Nico requested to be alone, and Will obliged, checking in on Nico from time to time. Every time, Nico had been staring off into space, looking at nothing. Will wondered what was going through Nico's mind all this time. He had managed to get some food from dinner into Nico and a little bit of unicorn draught. Will had taken the night off, leaving Kayla in charge of Nico, to go to the camp sing-a-long. He was currently returning to the infirmary, his mind on Nico.

Before he realized it, he had pushed through the doors. Kayla saw him, and with a yawn, bid him goodnight as she returned to the cabins. Will was in charge. But, Nico was the only patient. Nico, depending on his condition, would be released tomorrow. Will would be sad to see the son of Hades go, but he made a vow to keep talking to him. He had grown fond of Nico and was nursing a crush that he had had on him since the Titan War. With these thoughts, he walked into Nico's room. Nico was still awake. He looked up as Will approached.

"You should get some sleep," Will stated, adjusting Nico's pillows. Nico shifted away from him. Will sat down in his chair.

"You should take your own advice, Solace."

"I'll sleep when you do, Death Boy."

"Don't call me that!"

"Okay, Sunshine."

"Will you shut up if I go to sleep?"

"Perhaps."

"Fine, goodnight Solace."

"Goodnight, di Angelo," Nico flipped over so he was lying on his stomach, facing away from Will. After ten minutes of listening to his breathing, Will knew Nico was still wide awake. "Can't sleep?"

"Shut up, Solace. I don't want to sleep."

"Do you want a sleeping draught?"

"No."

"Nico, you need sleep."

"No, I don't, I'll be fine," Will mentally cursed. He needed to get Nico to sleep. He carefully placed his hand on Nico's back. Nico protested, fidgeting away, but Will held him there, saying he was only trying to help, Nico relaxed, letting Will rub circles into his spine. This calmed the son of Hades down to where he could fall into sleep. Will shortly followed.

* * *

Will suddenly woke up. He looked at the clock. 2 am. He didn't know why, but he had been pulled out of his dream. He tried to remember. The last thing he remembered was Clovis. He was talking about pulling Will off course because of Nico... Nico! He looked down at Nico and saw that he was shaking again. Memories flooded back as he recalled his dream. He had been dreaming about performing on a Broadway stage when suddenly he was in the Hypnos cabin. He was having tea with Clovis who explained he had pulled him into his dream. He talked about how Will needed to wake up because Nico was having a nightmare and needed to be woken up before he hurt himself. Will had then jolted awake. Nico was shaking and tears were streaming down his face again. _Oh Gods, not again, please let me be able to wake him up_ he prayed. His hands started glowing as he began to plead with Nico and try to get him out of the dream.

AN: "Sono troppo rotto per ottenere una migliore" roughly translates to "I am too broken to be healed" according to Google Translate. Who really knows how useful that is.


	11. Chapter 11: Tartarus

_Warnings: mentions of violence, homophobia, nightmares, and self-harm. Please do not read if any of these themes upset you._

 _Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Nico's POV:

Nico had fallen asleep, and was he now regretting it. He had ended up in Tartarus. In a memory.

* * *

 _He was running on the body of the primordial being, being chased by some unknown creature. He didn't know what it was but he was terrified. He came to the edge of the river. He couldn't jump across. He turned to face the monster, he drew his Stygian Iron sword out. He didn't see it, but a figure came up to the side of him. He swung around to face... Bianca? His sword point fell into the ground which was the flesh of Tartarus._

 _"Bianca, mia sorella?" Bianca smiled wickedly._

" _Going to kill me, fratellino. Again?" Nico gasped._

 _" I didn't kill you, I swear." Bianca threw her head back and laughed._

 _"Haha, you know I died, fratellino, getting you a stupid Mythomagic figurine. I died because of the stupid game you played as a kid. You let me die. Your own stupid actions killed me," Nico fell to his knees._

 _"No, please, mia sorella, I didn't ask you to... Percy said he would keep you safe, he promised..." He was cut off._

 _"Percy, Percy, Percy, he is all you think about huh? Well that is absolutely-" Bianca changed into another form. One Nico remembered from a vision and vaguely from a memory. "-disgusting! Do you hear me, stupido ragazzo? You loving another man. It is unspeakable. You should be thrown into the mental hospital, because you are sick, assolutamente malato." Nico was sobbing._

 _"Mama, per favore, I don't love Percy anymore. I'm not gay-"_

 _"Liar! You still have feelings for the boy! You should be punished, voi ragazzo malvagio. You should be-" his mother changed into someone worse. His father. "-killed! I am ashamed to have you as a son. You are a DISGRACE. You are weak. You should not be the Ghost King. You can't wield such power," Nico was curled up on the floor, tearing flowing._

 _"Father, please..." Hades raised his staff, as if to hit him. Nico shielded himself as Hades continued yelling._

 _"I am disgusted. My own son weeping on the floor. Pathetic. Bianca was so much better. But she's gone now because YOU KILLED HER. You are alone, just like you should be. You are an outcast, a freak. No friends, no family, no place to call your-" the figure changed and Nico knew this was a nightmare, because at this point when it had actually happened, Nico founded the strength to destroy the monster. But Nico was trapped in a nightmare. The figure spilt into two and changed. "-home," Nico gasped. It was Jason and Will._

 _"No..."_

 _"Oh yes, it is us," they said in unison. Nico was sobbing and shaking. Jason opened his mouth._

 _"You really believe Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter is your home? Please! You don't belong in either. You are an outcast, a freak-"_

 _"-who kills people. I watched you murder Octavian. And he, in turn, killed Leo." Will finished, a cruel smile on his face. Nico pleaded but Jason continued._

 _"You also killed Bryce Lawrence. Oh yes, Reyna told me all about that. She is terrified of you," his form briefly flashes to Reyna before flashing back to Jason. Nico was filled with fear._

 _"Oh and Jason told me that you are gay. That's disgusting. I can't believe you think you have a chance with me. I'm too good for you. I mean have you seen yourself? Have you seen the scars on your wrists and thighs? You are so weak you have to cut yourself. As soon as you can, you should just kill yourself." Nico screamed and Will turned into the goddess Akhlys. Her bony fingers wrapped around Nico's arm._

 _"Ahh, look at you you poor, pathetic son of Hades. I would try to put some more misery in your life, but it has more misery than I can handle," She released her grip and Nico was falling and falling. He fell for what seemed like forever until a light shone into his dream._

* * *

He woke up with a scream ripping from his throat. He reached with a shaking hand to his razor blade which he couldn't find. He brought his hand back to his chest and curled into himself. He felt a tentative hand on his back and fought his attacker. He stopped once he heard a voice.

"Nico? Nico, stop! Stop struggling! It's just me," Nico stopped as he recognized Will's voice.

He curled further in on himself. He was still shaking and sobbing. He felt Will wrap his arms around him. Nico tensed, but that didn't stop Will. He sat on the bed, pulling Nico into his lap. Nico turned towards Will's chest and let the flood waters come rushing out. He couldn't hear what Will was saying, but it was comforting to have sweet nothings murmured into his ear. Will's hand held him secure against his chest and the other rubbed his back underneath the sweater. Nico continued to sob as he listened to the heartbeat of the son of Apollo. He clung to Will for he didn't know how long as he got his sobbing under control. Will's words finally broke through to Nico. Will's voice calmed Nico down. With the heart of the son of Apollo as a tempo and Will's angelic voice Nico melted back into sleep.

Nico's eyes fluttered open. His eyes were crusted from his sobbing the night before. He settled more comfortably on his pillow when he realized it was beating. Like a heart. Nico shot up and founded himself lying on top of Will Solace. He turned beet red as he slowly got off the son of Apollo. Memories flooded into his mind as he remembered the night before. He had sobbed in front of Will. He had let the wall he had built come crashing down. He was so embarrassed to have fallen asleep on Will. Words from his nightmare came back. Disgusting, an outcast, alone. He managed to get to his feet. Will frowned and rubbed his chest as if missing something warm. Nico grabbed an extra pillow and blanket and draped them over the sleeping boy. Will settled against the bed and Nico made his escape. He tentatively poked his head out the door. He didn't see anyone in the infirmary so he ran out of it. Luckily, it was still quite earlier in the morning and the camp was still waking up. He rushed across the camp grounds and arrived at his cabin. He slipped inside, welcoming the dark. He switched clothes, settling in his usual black. His Stygian Iron sword rested on his leg. He grabbed a razor, but his hands were shaking too badly. He replaced it and climbed up to the roof, his favorite hideout. He was hidden from view from every angle unless someone flew above him and looked straight down. He settled in and watched as the sun woke the rest of the camp

* * *

Judging by the position of the sun, it was already 11 o'clock before anyone realized his absence. And boy did someone realize. The peaceful hum of camp activities was disturbed by a loud slam of the Big House door and a scream.

"WHERE IS HE?" _Uh-oh_ Nico thought _I am going to get killed. I should have thought this through._

 _"_ NICO DI ANGELO, WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU I SWEAR..." The threat was not said, but he had a feeling what Will might do to him. Poetry didn't sit well for Nico. Nico further settled in his spot, praying not to be spotted. Will's cry brought a crowd of people surrounding the Hades cabin. Will pounded on the door. "NICO DI ANGELO IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW, I WILL CURSE YOU TO RHYME FOR WEEKS!" Nico heard Will kick the door open.

Will stormed back out, not finding Nico. His look of anger faded into one of concern. He had no idea where Nico was. Smiling, Nico settled more comfortably on the roof. He put himself in a self-induced trance. His senses were shut off. He did this to prevent memories from taking over his mind, causing him to want to hurt himself. Over the next couple of hours, the search raged on for Nico below, who didn't hear it. Later, as evening was slowly approaching, Nico thought he saw a blonde mop of hair and a gleam of Imperial Gold, but once he snapped himself out of his trance, it was nowhere to be seen. He shook his head, starting to shut off his senses again. He almost completed it when he heard a voice.

"Jason told me I would find you up here," Nico whipped around to see Will Solace walking across the roof towards him. Nico scowled and turned away. Will plopped beside him. "So is this your secret hideout?"

Nico didn't respond, merely looked to the horizon.

"You really hate the infirmary, huh? What does it take to keep you in there?" No response. "You really scared me again today, Nico, you can't just disappear like that. I thought you were injured, or worse... Look, please just stop disappearing on me, okay?"

Nico looked to the son of Apollo. He looked sincere, but Nico wasn't going to promise anything. He nodded his head to satisfy Will.

Will breathed a sigh of relief. "So why did you run this time? Was it the nightmare again?" Nico wrapped his arms around his knees, not responding. "Nico, look at me."

Reflexively, Nico looked up. He found himself gazing into Will's blue orbs, which were filled with concern and care.

"Please, trust me. Let me in. I can help you."

Nico sighed. "Yeah, it was the nightmare, but I don't want to talk about it," With that, silence fell between the two boys as they watched the sun slowly sink. Will finally spoke again.

"You are going to hate me, but I really need you to come back to the infirmary," Nico started to protest, but Will stopped him. "I know, I know, I suck, but I need to do a final check and if you are okay, you can spend the night in your cabin, and be out of the infirmary." Nico didn't answer, which Will took as one. He stood.

"Great, let's go." He reached out a hand to Nico.

Nico got up without it, and then really embarrassed himself. He tripped over himself, almost sending his body falling off the roof. His fall was interrupted by a pair of strong arms encircling him, and pulling him back. Nico turned his face into Will's chest, catching his breath, and slowing down his heart rate. If Will hadn't been there, Nico would have gone plummeting to his father the hard way. He felt Will rubbing his back and whispering in his ear that it was okay. Nico relaxed himself and suddenly felt disgusted with himself. It triggered the memory from Tartarus.

He pushed away from Will as he clambered off the roof using hand holds that were impossible to see unless you knew where they were. Memories were chasing each other in his head. The taste of sulfurous air filled his lungs. The taste of pomegranate seeds flooded his mouth. The image of the Phlegethon seared across his eyelids. The feel of monsters ripping into his flesh. He heard the murmured, sinister whispering of Tartarus.

He collapsed as he hit the ground. His vision blurred as he began to have a panic attack. He tried to calm himself down, but he couldn't stop the inflow of horrible experiences. Monsters started coming at him and he swung his sword, warning them to stay back. One of the monsters had a sword and they began dueling. Nico was unarmed. He felt a monster grab his shoulder and he went to stab it, only to find he had no sword. He heard screaming around him, but couldn't distinguish what was being said. He stumbled back, falling to the ground. He curled in on himself to try and protect himself from the monsters attacking him. Nothing attacked so his heart rate began to decrease. He looked up to see Will and Jason peering at him. He let out a dignified cough and sat up. He noticed that Jason had his sword. Nico reached for it, but Jason stepped away.

"No, Nico. Are you with us? Can you hear us, now?" Nico nodded, and shakily got to his feet. He swayed and Will moved to steady him, but Nico flinched away. Will flinched as well, and stepped back. Nico cleared his throat.

"What happened?" Jason and Will exchanged a look.

"Well, Will asked me to get him down from the roof. I did and we saw you collapse. We ran over to you and you started swinging your sword at us. I managed to disarm you and Will grabbed your shoulder and if I hadn't disarmed you... Anyway, you collapsed and Will and I didn't want to freak you out, so we backed away. What happened to you? Was it a flashback from- Tartarus?" The word in the air felt ominous.

Nico merely nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"Can you tell us what?" Nico shook his head, tears forming. "What was the trigger then, what set off the memory?" Nico also shook his head; he wasn't saying anything about that in front of Will.

Jason's eyes narrowed and he whispered something in Will's ear. Will nodded and set off towards the Big House. Nico walked to his cabin and sat on the steps, trying to regain strength. Jason sat beside him. "I won't ask what the memory was, but please, please tell me the trigger. It will help us help you and I won't say a word to Will, unless it can do you harm." Jason said, a stubborn look on his face.

"Will triggered me. I mean when... when Will grabbed me... that set it off..." Nico whispered.

"Because of the touching thing or..."

"Because I'm... You know... The thing from Croatia. And while I was in... That place... My mother came to me and said I was... Disgusting for... For... You know," Nico's eyes filled with tears. Jason understood and his face tightened with anger.

"Nico, you are not disgusting. It is perfectly okay-" Nico felt a surge of anger. He stood up, looking down at Jason.

"No! I am not having this conversation with you Grace! You are Mr. Perfect and have no idea what you are talking about." Tears started flowing down Nico's cheeks as he hid his face and ran to his cabin door.

He pulled it out and slammed it shut behind him. He locked it and slid down it. He was sobbing and getting frustrated that he was sobbing which caused him to sob harder. He heard Jason tentatively knocking at his door, but he ignored it and strode over to his bed. He grabbed his blade, but didn't use it, just grasped it in his hand. He collapsed on it and buried his face into the pillows, which muffled his sobs.

* * *

 _AN: Translations: mia sorella- my sister_

 _Fratellino-brother_

 _Ragazzo- boy_

 _Assolutamente malato- absolutely sick_

 _Per favore- please_

 _Voi ragazzo malvagio- you wicked boy_


	12. Chapter 12: Insecurities

_Warnings: mentions of self-harm, self-loathing._

 _Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Will's POV:

Will was having a bad day. First, he woken up to find his patient missing. Second, he spent the day searching for said patient, not knowing if Nico was injured, or worse, dead. Third, his search for Nico was interrupted by a bad archery injury which required his expertise. Needless to say, when Jason told him to leave Nico to him, and to get his own medical supplies, Will was a little pissed off. He stormed down to the infirmary. He grabbed a sedative, to relax Nico, and some other medical equipment. He wrapped his stethoscope around his neck and grabbed his medical bag. He jogged back to Nico's cabin. He walked up the stairs to find Jason pounding on Nico's door. Uh oh. Nico had barricaded himself in his cabin. Will cursed and Jason locked eyes with him. Will could hear Nico crying through the door.

"What. Did. You. Say?" Will asked in a scary calm voice. Jason looked stressed and worried.

"We were talking about his personal life and he... he just stormed into his cabin, and locked the door. I can't get it open."

"What about his personal life, Jason? I need to know what triggered him," Jason looked terrified.

"Will, I can't tell you. It's Nico's business and he would kill me if he knew I told you..."

"I don't care Jason! If you don't tell me, it could kill Nico, or he could kill himself!" The last four words rang out. The two boys were silent as the full impact of the words sunk in.

"Will, I can't, I made a promise!"

"And I made a promise to heal Nico and you are making that difficult!" Will said forcefully. Jason was rendered speechless. "Fine, don't tell me. Just get out of here. Nico is obviously done talking to you, but maybe, just maybe he will talk to me."

Jason opened his mouth to protest, then must have thought better of it because he walked away. Will dropped his bag and put his hand to door.

"Nico," he said, using low tones. "Please open up. I am not going to question you or judge you, please, I just want to help. I just want to know that you are okay." His head leaned against the door. The sobs started lessening as if listening to Will's words. Will continued murmuring encouragements for Nico to open the door.

* * *

Eventually, after the sun had set, Will heard tentative footsteps. He heard the unlocking of the lock. Will put his hand to the door handle and slowly turned it. The door slowly opened. Will grabbed his bag and pushed his way into the room.

The room was dark and Will could barely see the outline of Nico against his black covers. He shut the door behind him. He snapped his fingers and Greek Fire, contained in torches, flared up around the room. Nico's face was lit up with a greenish glow. He flinched from the light and tried to bury himself in his covers.

Will had caught a glimpse of his face. It was streaked with tears and he had bags under his eyes. He looked unnaturally pale and his skin looked gaunt as a result of his refusal to eat. Will slowly walked over to where the son of Hades was buried under the covers. He knelt down and pulled the covers back. Nico's face was in his pillows. Will tentatively put his hand on Nico's back. Nico flinched away, but Will did not move his hand.

Eventually, Nico turned his face from out of the pillow. He carefully sat up. Will didn't move, not wanting to frighten the boy. Nico reached out to Will, seeking comfort. Will took Nico's hands. He felt a razor grasped in one of his hands. With a sigh, he removed the razor and put it in his bag. Will retook his hands to feel how much residual darkness was left. Will almost jumped at the amount Nico had in him. It was way worse than it had been the night before. Will shut his eyes and began concentrating on every piece of healing magic he knew. He heard Nico gasp as Will's hands lit up. He coaxed the darkness out of Nico and into his own hands. He kept his focus until almost all the darkness was out of Nico. He then took the darkness that he had received and squeezed his eyes. He felt the blessing of Apollo as the darkness evaporated, overpowered by the sunlight from within Will and lent by his father. Will and Nico both relaxed as the darkness was expelled.

Will felt exhausted, though he could feel relief pulsating through Nico's body. Will wrapped his arms around the boy, offering comfort. As Nico began to become more alert, the pain inside him lessening, he realized his place. He started pushing away from Will. Will had enough strength to hold him back, but not for long. Nico flinched and fought harder. He managed to keep Nico in place as he grabbed the sedative. He took it and plunged it into Nico's arm. Nico gasped.

"No... Will..." He started falling back into Will's chest.

Will watched Nico's eyes as the sedative took effect. Nico's eyes held a betrayed look as he gained eye contact with Will. Will held him as he sunk out of consciousness. His eyes slid shut and Will relaxed. He let Nico's head fall back onto his shoulder. He slowly slid Nico off him and back into his bed.

He grabbed his bag and started taking supplies out. He removed Nico's jacket and shirt. All his injuries were healing, though Nico still needed some more unicorn draught and ambrosia which he wouldn't be able to take until he had food. He turned Nico over to look at his back. Same story. He took out his stethoscope and started listening to Nico breathe. It was steady. Will looked at Nico's werewolf claw marks. They were healing quite well with the stitches. To prevent them from getting tampered with, Will wrapped a fluffy, white bandage around Nico's arm. He secured it and looked at Nico's wrist. Nico had not etched any more scars thankfully, but Will still had to check his legs. Will pulled Nico's shirt back onto him. Will removed Nico's pants and examined his legs. All his cuts and bruises still needed some unicorn draught. Will looked at Nico's thighs. No new cuts either. He pulled Nico's pants back onto him. He tucked Nico under the covers. He started Nico on an IV to last him until morning. Will then crawled over to an empty bed and collapsed from exhaustion.

* * *

Will groaned as he woke up. He felt groggy and the sun still wasn't up yet. He glanced at his watch 12:30pm. What? He checked again. Yep, it was already noon the next day. Will usually woke up with the sun. Will shot up and over to the window. He opened the curtains and sunlight spilled into the room. He heard Nico groan and bury himself deeper into the covers. Will chuckled to himself and turned towards the son of Hades. He knelt so he was eye level where he thought Nico's eyes were.

"Nico, wake up,"

"Hmmmmm"

"Nico."

"Hmmphmm"

"Good morning Death Boy!"

"Domm camm mem thmm"

"Death Boy!" Nico's onyx eyes popped open right in front of Will's blue ones. They held eye contact for a moment before Nico's fluttered away. Nico groaned and started to sit up.

"This isn't the infirmary; why are you in my cabin?" Nico didn't remember what had happened the night before.

"Well, you were hiding out on your roof and when you came down..." Will tried to phrase the next bit as delicately as he could. "You had some memories come back and you reacted badly towards them..." Nico's eyes widened as he recalled the previous day. He pushed the covers back and leaned against the bed frame. He wrapped his arms around his knees.

"Oh... Now I remember." Nico flushed in embarrassment. Will rushed to reassure him.

"Nico, it's okay. You just had a bad memory come up. Considering what you have been through, you handled it quite well. It's okay to need help and to let it all out. There's nothing wrong with that-" he was interrupted.

"Oh great, thanks, Will, I'm fine though now. You can leave." Will wasn't leaving that easily.

"I'm leaving, but you are coming too. We are going to get lunch at the dining pavilion." Nico scowled. Will scowled right back.

"No way I can get out of this?" Nico asked.

Will shook his head. "Nope. Now, go get dressed."

Nico ducked in the bathroom to change and get freshened up. Will prayed that he didn't look like absolute crap. He finger-brushed his hair. Nico came out of the bathroom in his usual black attire. He was missing his aviator jacket though. In its place was a black hoodie. Will pushed open the door to the Hades cabin. He walked out into the sunlight, happy to get some fresh air. Making sure Nico was following him, he set off towards the dining pavilion. He passed by Connor Stoll who was tied with some vines as he had tried to steal a Demeter's girls' wallet. Lou Ellen was playing with her pet piglets that Will really hoped weren't campers. A pegasus was dragging around a Hephaestus kid. Just another normal day at camp. They arrived at the dining pavilion. Nico sat at his table, trying to blend in with the shadows. Before Will could even chose a seat, he was beckoned to the head table by Chiron.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Solace. We needed you in the infirmary last night."

"Yes, I know, I'm sorry, I was with Nico in-"

"Yes, in his cabin. As you know it is against camp rules for two campers who don't have the same parent to be... alone in a cabin-"

"Oh my gods, I was healing him and watching over him in the night, nothing like that happened!" Will could feel the heat rising off of his face.

"Okay, Mr. Solace. If you need to watch over him, make sure you run it by me first."

Will sulked off. He started muttering under his breath about stupid horse-men. He reached the Hades table to find a whole swarm of people around Nico. The rule about sitting with your cabin had kind of disappeared as nobody followed it anymore. The six from the quest and Reyna were at the Hades table. They were interacting with Nico and including him, but he was still trying not to be noticed. Will observed that Nico was merely pushing the food around on his plate, not eating anything. Will knew for a fact that it had been a day since Nico had eaten. He sat down next to Nico.

"Nico, I really need you to eat. You haven't eaten in days and your body needs the nutrition." Reyna, sitting closest to Will, had enough tact to get the attention off Nico. Nico scowled and continued pushing the food around on his plate.

"Nico, you can't just not eat," Will tried again, but he was ignored. Nico was looking down at his lap. Will was about done with Nico's attitude. "Nico, look at me," Nico's eyes slid up to lock with Will's. "I know you don't want to, but you are eating. Whether you feed yourself or I do is up to you, and I am not afraid to play doctor right here."

Nico saw how serious Will was being and started to shove food in his mouth. Once Nico had finished half his plate, he pushed it away, saying he was done. Will sighed, but let it pass. Jason said something about sword training and invited Nico. Will intervened before Nico could do something stupid like try to train after almost fading away.

"No, Nico will not be doing any sword training. He is still recovering and I doubt he is strong enough right now-" Nico interrupted him.

"I am plenty strong enough, Solace, don't tell me what I can or can't do!"

"I will tell you what to do for as long as you continue to do things detrimental to your health. You end up hurting yourself doing them! You don't seem to care enough to take care of yourself, so I have to do it!" The two were glaring daggers at each other and Will could feel the tension. An oncoming storm was brewing in the son of Hades.

"Maybe I don't want you to care. I don't want your help! I hate you and your stupid doctoring of me. You act like you completely understand me, but you don't. You don't get anything. You are a horrible healer who can't save anyone. You can't fix anything. I certainly do not need you trying to fix me. So just leave me alone!" The words hung in the air as silence fell over the table. The full impact of the words hit Will. His face hardened, as he tried not to let his hurt show.

"Fine, I'm sorry you feel that way. I'll just leave you alone to take care of yourself and use my useless healing skills somewhere else. I guess you didn't appreciate me saving your life!" As he spoke, he pushed himself away the table and stood. He started to walk away, but had one more thing to say. With a shaking finger, he bent down so he was right in Nico's face so only the son of Hades would hear him. "I could have let you die, I could have let you fade away. I could have let you make those scars deeper, but I didn't. I stopped you because I cared. You should think about how the things you say hurt the people that care about you. You push people away. Maybe that's why you feel so alone." He let his hand drop and stood back up.

He curtly nodded to the others, sent daggers at Nico and stormed out of the pavilion. He noticed the other campers watching the action at the Hades table with bated breath. He shot glares at all of them and they hastily turned back to their conversation. Will got clear of the eyes of the campers, and he felt the impact of Nico's words. He knew he shouldn't get upset. Nico had just said that because he was frustrated. He didn't mean any of that. Or did he? Did he really think Will was a terrible healer and that he couldn't fix anything? That hit a sore spot for Will. Will was unbelievably insecure about his abilities. Too many people had been lost under Will's watch. He hadn't been able to save them. While all of his siblings, Chiron, and even his father had countlessly told him that it wasn't his fault, and the people were beyond help, the guilt was still there for Will. He blamed himself for their deaths. On occasion, he had nightmares about those lost who blamed him for everything. Nico was right. He couldn't save anyone. Because of his incompetence, good people had died.

He hadn't noticed which direction he was walking during his escape from the pavilion and he found himself in the woods. He decided to climb a tree to wait out all the guilt crashing down around him. He pulled himself up and rested with his back against the trunk, feet sprawled across the branch. He took deep breaths as he tried to get his thoughts under control. He had to try to assure himself that it wasn't his fault. His fault. All his fault. His tears worsened and he started sobbing into his hands, praying that those he had lost would forgive him for failing to save them.


	13. Chapter 13: Mistakes

_Warnings: MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING! Self-harm. Please DO NOT READ if this upsets you. I will mark in the story when the self-harm begins in case you want to skip that part_

 _Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Nico's POV:

Nico watched as Will stormed out of the dining hall. He felt a twinge of guilt for what he had said to Will. He hadn't meant a word of it, but he was so frustrated with Will for trying to shield him and saying he was too weak. Although he knew that Will only meant he was still recovering and that he wasn't strong enough because he was healing from his injuries, it felt like he had meant that Nico wasn't strong enough in any way, mental or physical. He had only said those words to get the boy to leave him alone. And it worked. And Nico was upset that it worked. Then he was mad that he was upset.

Nico just wanted to be alone, by himself, but he really enjoyed Will's presence. Which annoyed Nico, even disgusted him, because that's what his society had told him. That he was disgusting and sick for being the way he was. Nico needed to push Will away. In fact, Nico needed to push everyone away. They would end up leaving or hurting him anyways. The ones who stayed would eventually be hurt by him and he wanted to minimize the injuries. Nico didn't deserve any of these people. They were too good, too pure for him. They were better off without him. They would be better off if he was dead. Nico told himself that once he found Leo wherever in the world or the Underworld he was and brought him back to Camp Half-Blood, he would be gone forever. Leo would take his place, and no one would notice that the son of Hades had faded away. Or even that he had died. As he made that plan in his head, he finally noticed what was going on around him. His deep thoughts were broken through by Hazel, calmly admonishing him.

"- was that Nico? Are you even listening to me? Will saved your life and you repay him by saying that? What's gotten into you?" Nico wouldn't meet her eyes and he felt hers and the states of the six other demigods at the table. He merely shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't like being told what to do."

"Well that is no reason to treat Will like that! He cares about you and you completely turned him away."

"I prefer to be alone."

"Nico..."

"No. I said what I said and I can't take it back. Does someone want to go to sword training with me or do I have to go by myself?" Nico asked. Jason exchanged a look with Percy and spoke with a wary voice as if handling a bomb about to go off.

"Nico, I know you want to, but Will told you not to go to sword fighting. I mean, he is your healer and knows what is best for you. I think you should just rest-"

"Okay, well that answers my question. If you guys need me, I'll be in the arena," Nico got up and walked away from the table, turning his back on his small group of friends. He heard footsteps behind him and glanced back to see Reyna hurrying after him. _Great_ he thought _It is going to be harder than I thought to push them all away_. He kept walking, increasing his pace, to try and get away from Reyna, but she caught up easily.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked. Nico scoffed.

"Yes."

"Good." And she kept walking with him.

"Did Jason send you?" Nico asked, venomously.

"First off, Grace doesn't _send_ me anywhere, I follow my own rules. Secondly, no, I just wanted to spend time with you because I will be leaving soon, is that a problem?" Nico shrugged.

"Are you here to lecture me about Will? Because if you are, I'm really not in the mood and you can walk away now."

"No, I am not here to lecture you. Although what you said was stupid, it's your decision what you say to people. And I realize you are not one to apologize, so what would be the point of asking you to do something you won't do?" Nico considered this. "Also, what's the point of telling you not to do something when you are so obviously going to do it? So instead of arguing with you, I decided to go to training with you to make sure you don't hurt yourself." Nico scowled. He and Reyna stopped. They had arrived at the arena, which was empty. They entered the arena and drew their swords. They started moving in a circle, daring the other to strike first.

"I promise, I'll go easy on you," Nico taunted as he beckoned for Reyna to attack. Something flashed in her eyes and before he realized it, she was standing over him, her sword at his throat, only his sword preventing hers from decapitating him. If it hadn't been for his reflexes, he would have been cut in half. She grinned.

"Oh, that won't be necessary. But maybe I should go easy on you, Death Breath," he pushed her sword away, and she stumbled back.

"Yeah, right. Enough games. Let's fight. After you." Nico said, preparing himself.

"It would be my honor," with that, she struck again, and the sounds of swords clashing filled the arena.

* * *

About six hours later, Nico collapsed onto his bed. He and Reyna had sparred in the arena for about three hours. Then, they had taken a break and tried their luck on the rock climbing wall. They had done just about every camp activity possible. Although Nico was hot, sweaty, burned, cut, and bruised, he had never felt better. It felt so good to not be coped up all day, and felt good to put his energy into something. Nico felt as though he had put a little too much energy. Will was right to say he probably wasn't strong enough. The whole day, Nico had been close to passing out, and he was running on mostly adrenaline. Now, even though he was lying down, he felt the aches and bruises weakening him. He may or may not have accidentally caused the stitches to break on his arm, but there was no way he was going to tell Will that. He just wrapped the bandage tighter, praying the blood wouldn't show.

He continued to get his breathing under control as he heard the conch for dinner. It was dinner time, but there was no way Nico was leaving his cabin. There was no way he would be going down to eat. He might be a little hungry, but he refused to eat in the pavilion. He reached out for his bedside table and grabbed an energy bar. He ate half of it and was full. He put it back on the table and his hand brushed his razor blade.

*(self- harm starts here)*

Memories flooded into his head as he remembered some of the time he had used it. He recalled the blood trickling down his legs, the red seeping his arms. Without realizing it, he has gripped the razor blade so hard, that it had cut into his hand. He looked down surprised to see blood running down his hand. It reminded him of the Phlegethon. How it curled around the banks of Tartarus. How it flowed. He recalled the fire water searing down his throat, bringing the only relief in all of Tartarus. Then he remembered all the monsters he had fought along the banks of the river. He started shaking as a panic attack threatened to take over. He methodically started raising the blade and running it across the skin on his thighs. The pain brought him back to reality. He continued etching into his skin until all traces of the memory and the panic attack faded away.

He stopped and looked at what he had done. _Oh no_ he though. Will had given him a second chance to be clean, and he had done this? He had let Will down. Blood was spilling onto his sheets. He panicked. Oh no. If Will was to see this... He couldn't let Will see it. He couldn't let anyone see this. He started to mop up his mutilated legs with the already blood-stained sheets. He wiped the razor blade to erase any evidence and put it on his side table. He was about to pull the sheets off his bed when he heard a tentative knock at his door. He paused and dove under the covers, hoping whoever was knocking would go away. His hope was quashed as his door creaked open. He shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep.

"Nico?" Will's voice rang out into the room. He sighed when he saw the boy sleeping. He went over to check his pulse when he realized Nico would probably kill him if he woke him up. He picked something up from the side table, but Nico didn't know what. He slowly back out of the room. Nico heard the door click and Will's footsteps receding.

His eyes flew open and he threw the covers off. Blood was still flowing. He stood to go back to the bathroom. He almost collapsed. He guessed that he had cut deeper than he had meant to. He caught his breath.

When he was recovered, he pulled the sheets off his bed and wobbled to the bathroom. He turned on the shower and ran the bath. When the water was hot, and the tub filled, Nico dropped the gray sheets in the bath with lots of soap to soak the sheet. He undressed and slipped into the shower. Carefully, he peeled off his bandage. The stitches were broken, the gashes open, and a lot blood came out. He realized it was a bad idea, but he ran his arm under the water. He hissed at the pain and almost passed out. He started to see black spots, but secured himself by sitting. He washed the blood off of his body and just sat under the hot water for a while, thinking about what could go wrong next.

Nico emerged from the bathroom about an hour later. It had taken a good half-an-hour for the blood to stop flowing as hard. Afterwards, Nico had bandaged his thighs and arm. He pulled on a long sleeve shirt and some comfortable black pants. He decided that he didn't want to sleep. So, to keep himself awake, he made the decision to spend the night on the roof, in the chilly night air.

*(self-harm ends here)*

He stuffed pillows under his covers so when Hazel came back, she wouldn't notice his absence. He grabbed the sheets out of the bath and shoved that under his covers. He peered out of his cabin to make sure he wouldn't get caught. When the coast was clear, he ran to the side of the cabin and used the handholds to get to the roof. He then settled into his hidden spot and watched the sun slowly go down. After a while, he heard songs being sung around the campfire. He sighed, knowing he really would never be a part of the camp. He fell into a deep thought process that very few people could rouse him from.

* * *

His thoughts were disturbed by the rising of the sun. It was already the next morning. He had stayed deep in thought all night. His limbs were stiff from being in the same position all night, the cold air seeping into his bones. He stretched and the sun started to warm him up. He climbed down the roof and hit the ground. He walked back into his cabin.

He went into the bathroom and glanced at himself in the mirror. There were bags under his eyes that he prayed nobody would notice. He looked paler than usual probably due to the fact that he had lost a lot of blood the night before and had refused to eat too. His hair was starting to fall over his eyes and he brushed it out of them. He brushed his teeth, pulled on a new set of clothes, and set out to breakfast. He knew that if he didn't emerge from his cabin sooner or later, Will would march down to it, breaking the door open.

He walked into the dining pavilion. He saw Will Solace glance at him, then look back to his plate, the back of his neck turning red. Nico could tell that he had really hurt the son of Apollo. Although he hadn't wanted to, Nico needed to push Will away. He sat down at his table and a piece of toast appeared on the plate before him. Almost immediately, Jason, Hazel, and Percy swarmed his table.

"Is that all you are eating?"

"You should eat more."

"How much did you sleep last night? When I came in, you were asleep, and when I left, you were still asleep. Did you sleep all night?" Nico didn't answer any of the questions directly. He noticed Will look up when his eating and sleeping habits were brought up. He just muttered a small "I'm fine." They all looked at each other, and back at Nico.

"Are you sure?" Jason asked warily. Nico nodded and with his hand, brushed the hair out of his eyes. This movement caused Jason to grab his wrist. Nico flinched, but Jason held on. He pulled his sleeve back, exposing his arm.

"Is there blood on your bandage? Did your stitches break?" At this, Will's head cocked as if trying to hear the conversation.

"I'm fine, Grace," Nico growled, snatching his arm away. "It's nothing!" Jason looked unconvinced. He sat down besides Nico and grabbed his arm again. He began unwrapping the bandage. Nico tried to pull away, but Percy and Jason held him in place. There was a lot of dried blood on the bandage.

"This doesn't look like nothing." Percy said, seeing how soaked the bandage was. Nico started shaking. He did not want Percy and Jason both touching him. He yanked his arm away and stumbled off of the bench.

"Leave me alone." He pulled and his hood up and tried to walk away. Percy grabbed his arm. This pushed Nico over the edge. He tried to yank his arm, but Percy had a defiant look in his eyes.

"No. You need to go see Will now. You reopened the stitches and you don't want them to get infected." Nico kept trying to pull away, though Percy held him firm. He was about to go into panic mode when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Will.

"Let's all just calm down now. Nico, what seems to be the problem?" Will's hand on his shoulder seemed to melt away his anger. Will had that effect. Nico yanked his arm from Percy's grip and shrugged off Will's hand.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm fi-"

"Not fine. His stitches broke. Look." Percy brought his arm up. Nico yanked it back, glaring at Percy.

"Touch me one more time, Jackson, and I swear-" But his threat was interrupted by the son of Apollo.

"C'mon Nico, let me just redo your stitches and you can be on your merry way." With that, Nico was dragged into the infirmary. He was shoved on a bed. The bandage was unwrapped. Will's eyes widened, but he said nothing. He turned away to grab something.

In his hands, Will held a needle and thread and started restitching his wounds. Will didn't say a word to Nico so he assumed Will was still hurt by what he had said. If he looked closely enough at the son of Apollo, he could clearly see that Will's eyes were... bloodshot as if he had been crying. Oh gods. Nico knew he had to push Will away, but he hadn't meant to hurt him that badly. He opened his mouth to apologize when he was interrupted by Will, who was bandaging his arm.

"Okay, you are all done. Don't be idiot and go try to train again today. Just get some rest. Here's some ambrosia. See you later." Nico was kicked out of the infirmary. Nico now knew that he had hurt Will badly. Usually the son of Apollo would keep him in there as long as possible, even for something as small as a paper cut. Nico sighed. He walked out of the Big House. Perhaps it was for the best.

* * *

It was already after dinner, on the next day. The day before was uneventful and he refused to sleep again, barely functioning the next day at camp. Will had refused to talk to him again, though shot some worried glances his way when he saw the state he was in. Reyna, Frank, and Hazel had left at noon that day once assured by Will that he was okay, and that he would be taken care of if he did anything stupid. Hazel had managed to shadow travel them into the moving van, which Nico was surely impressed by. Before they left, Reyna made him promise to contact her if he needed anything or anyone to talk to at any time. About anything. It made Nico think she knew his secret, but surely Will would have kept that to himself, right?

The rest of the day passed quickly and Nico was left alone in his cabin again. He managed to make it look like he had eaten dinner, but only ate a mouthful or two. Nico's sleepless nights were getting to him. He was falling asleep at dinner. He got home and collapsed on his bed. He pulled off his pants so he was only in boxers and settled comfortable against his pillows. It was too late before he realized that that was a bad idea. He started to fall asleep. He tried to stop, but sleep had a hold on him.

* * *

A scream ripping from his throat woke him up. He shot up, shaking like crazy. Tartarus. With a shaking hand, he reached for his razor, but it was gone. He stumbled to the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror. He looked too long. His image started repeating the words he had heard in his dream. Worthless. Useless. You don't deserve to live. Kill yourself. He saw his mother and Bianca on either side of him repeating this mantra.

*(self-harm starts here)*

He took his hands and smashed the mirror, disturbing the image. It shattered and he felt the glass bite into him. He fell to the knees, sobbing. He grabbed a huge shard and dragged it down his thighs. He kept digging into his skin. He felt satisfied as the blood spilled onto the floor. He gripped the shard tighter and let himself fall to his side on the glass shards, welcoming the sting they brought. He didn't know how long he stayed like that before he heard a knock on his door.

"Nico? C'mon, it's breakfast time. Are you coming?" He tried to speak, but no words came out. "Nico? Can I come in?" The door started opening.

"No." The word ripped from his throat. He pulled himself into a sitting position. His head was spinning, but he pushed through. Jason couldn't see him like this, he would be disgusted. "I need a minute-" But the damage was already done. Jason had walked into the cabin.

"Nico, are you- Holy Hera, NICO?!" He said as he walked into the bathroom.

"No, please go..."

"Holy Zeus, Nico, what did you do?!"Jason pulled the shard from his hands and began frantically looking for a towel. "Holy schist, you are bleeding really badly, you need a healer..." Nico grabbed Jason's wrist.

"Please," he pleaded, tears running down his face. "Please, don't tell Will. He'll hate me. Promise you won't tell. Please. Please..." His hand fell, leaving a blood stain on Jason's wrist. Jason looked helpless.

"Nico, I have to tell him. You are really hurt."

"Please?" He whimpered.

Jason didn't answer. He grabbed a towel, ran it under the water, and began mopping up Nico's thighs. Nico hissed at the pain and started to see black spots.

"Nico? Nico!" Jason's voice started to fade. Nico started to fall back to the ground. No. He couldn't pass out. He couldn't let Will see him like this. He had to get away. Before he hit the ground, he felt Jason's arms wrap around him. The last thing he saw was fear emitting from the son of Jupiter's eyes. Then he knew no more.


	14. Chapter 14: Transfusion

_Warnings: MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING! Self-harm. Please DO NOT READ if this upsets you._

 _Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Will's POV:

He wasn't going to lie. Nico had really hurt him. He had spent the night crying, and got barely any sleep. He had been quite concerned that Nico had broken his stitches, but he was still very hurt. But his hurt didn't stop him from rushing to help Nico. He had just finished up breakfast alone when Jason Grace came running up to him. Jason looked fearful and Will noticed there was blood on Jason's hands and arms. His eyes widened in horror as Jason began talking. Where has the blood come from?

"Will, help. Hades cabin. Nico-" he didn't need to say anymore.

Will sprinted after him. He first stopped at his cabin to grab some supplies. He had a feeling he knew what Nico had done. He cursed under his breath. He should have known to keep better surveillance of the son of Hades. When he had been in there, he had collected some of the visible razors, but he knew Nico had hidden a lot of them. He reached his cabin door and began grabbing random supplies and throwing them in his bag. He yelled at Jason to go back to Nico.

He finished and sprinted past his cabin mates. He arrived at cabin 13 within seconds and found the door was open. He shut it behind him and ran to the bathroom. He gasped at the scene he walked into. There was broken glass from the mirror strewn around the floor. There were a couple small puddles of blood. In the middle of the bathroom, Jason had Nico in his arms. Nico's eyes were closed and he looked deathly pale. His eyes went to Nico's wrists. There didn't appear to be any blood coming from them. Blood had dried on his hands and arms. His eyes fell to Nico's thighs. He gasped. The white, usually pale skin was soaked with blood. Jagged cuts and gashes were etched into the skin. And they were deep. Will fell to his knees, ignoring the broken mirror cutting into his skin. He barked an order for Jason to get a clean, wet towel. It was given to him, and Will began wiping the blood away. But, it was still coming out. He pulled out bandages from his bag. He pressed down on Nico's thighs to try and staunch the bleeding. As he applied pressure, he looked at Jason.

"Did-" he squeaked. He was scared to ask the question, knowing the answer, but he had to ask. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Who- did he do this to himself?" Jason nodded, solemnly, tears coming to his eyes.

"I- I walked in on- on him doing it- and I had to pull- to pull the shard of glass from his hand. He made me promise not to tell you, or anyone. But, Will," Jason looked up in anguish. "I had to. He wouldn't- he wouldn't stop bleeding and I didn't know what to do. I don't know why he thinks he needs to do this." The son of Jupiter whispered. "We are here for him. Why won't he talk to us?" Nico had soaked through the bandage. Will grabbed another one and applied it to Nico's leg. He secured it before answering.

"He's scared? He thinks we will judge him or leave him or I don't know!" Will bit his lip in frustration. "But, I do know one thing. He will not be facing this alone anymore. So help me if I have to be with him twenty-four seven, then I will do it if it prevents from hurting himself." The promise rang out in the Hades cabin. Will was serious. He cared too much to continue letting Nico struggling by himself.

After five more bandages, and a half an hour later, the bleeding finally slowed. Will assessed Nico. He didn't appear to have any other injuries and he had not appeared to have slept or eaten the past few days. The most pressing concern was that Nico had lost so much blood. He needed more blood. Now. If he was going to stay alive. That meant Will needed a blood donation. And fast. He looked at Jason.

"Nico has lost a dangerous amount of blood and he needs more, now. I need a blood donation." Jason nodded. "I don't know what blood type he is, but I can just give him type O, the universal donor. I need you to go to the infirmary and get a blood bag for-" He was interrupted by Jason holding his arm out. Will looked at him, quizzically. His eyes widened as he realized what Jason was suggesting.

"Jason, no, I am not going to ask you to donate your blood. It's too much to-"

"I want to. You said he needed blood fast. Let me donate my own to help him. I want to help him." Jason looked defiant. Will was going to try to stop him. Blood transfusions were dangerous if the blood types didn't match. He opened his mouth to protest, but Jason continued. "No, I want to do this. I don't care about the risks. I would do anything for Nico!" Will threw his hands up in protest. He thought about getting a sibling to help him, but he assumed that Nico didn't want anyone else to know about his secret. He took inventory.

"Okay, we can't move Nico, it is too risky. I need you to go get the heart monitor, oxygen mask, and IV. I need to stay here and start stitching Nico up. Here," he shoved an energy bar into Jason's hand. "Get your strength up because Nico needs a lot of blood. Get back with the heart monitor, oxygen mask and IV as soon as possible. Tell Kayla, she will be in the infirmary, what you need, and say that Will is doing a practice run. Ask her what Nico's and your blood types are. She will understand. Tell no one else what you are doing. If anyone asks, ignore them. Go!"

Jason sprang out of the bathroom. The door opened and slammed shut. Will turned back to Nico. He needed medical attention, fast. He poured some unicorn draught down Nico's throat, trying to get some sort of medicine into his body. He reflexively swallowed and Will dropped the empty bottle down. Will wiped the remaining blood off of Nico's thighs and began meticulously stitching up the wounds. There were four major gashes and six or seven smaller ones. He stitched and wiped, stitched and wiped. He didn't look up until he pulled through the final stitch.

Jason was standing there, and Will had not noticed him come in. He asked Nico's blood type. A negative. He asked Jason's blood type. O negative. Even though that was the universal donor, this was going to be risky. He asked how long he had been there. Jason said thirty minutes. _Crap_ Will thought _Nico is not going to make it unless he gets blood now._

He grabbed the monitor from Jason and attached it to Nico's chest. Nico's heartbeat was weakening. He sat Jason down on a chair he pulled from Nico's cabin, and told Jason to make a fist. He obliged and Will inserted the IV. Jason gasped as blood started filling the tube. Carefully, but quickly he inserted the other end of the IV into Nico. Will closed his eyes and prayed, hoping the transfusion would work. The heart monitor started beeping like crazy. Nico was flat-lining.

His eyes flew open. He began CPR and prayed to his father that Nico would recover. 1-2-3 _Please father, please, let it work._ He blew air into Nico's lungs. 1-2-3. _Please father, please, let my magic work._

Nico inhaled, and Will sobbed with relief. It worked. The blood transfusion was working. He placed an oxygen mask over Nico's face and checked the rest of his vitals. He was breathing, and his heartbeat had steadied. It had worked. Blood was flowing from Jason to Nico. Will looked to Jason, who looked relieved to see Nico breathing again. He asked if Jason was okay. Jason nodded, though he looked uncomfortable. Blood transfusions tended to have that effect on people. Will sat back, catching his breath. He had almost lost Nico. He had grown to have feelings for Nico and was relieved that he had saved him. But, it was still too soon to tell if Nico was okay. There was no telling when Nico would wake up.

Will looked at his hands. There were covered in blood. As was his shirt. He started picking up the shards of glass, carefully. He threw them into trash can. He carefully lifted up Nico and swept the broken mirror pieces from under him. He managed to get every piece into the trash. He walked over to the sink and washed the blood down the drain. He looked back over to Jason. The son of Jupiter was drooping in his chair. Will rushed over.

"Hold on, Jason, I will get you out soon. You are doing a great job." Jason nodded. Will put his hands on Nico's. He closed his eyes to read Nico's blood levels. They were still relatively low, but if Jason gave any more blood, he too would pass out. "Okay, Nico's levels are still really low, but yours are too. Let's get you unhooked." He moved to remove the IV, but Jason moved away.

"No, no. I'll give as much as I need to... To keep Nico going... To keep him alive," As he said that, Will saw him losing strength. If Jason had been at full strength, Jason would have stopped Will easily. But Jason had given a lot of blood so Will grabbed Jason's arm easily overpowering him.

Jason continued to protest, but Will shushed him, and removed the IV. He removed it from Nico's arm too. He watched Nico's vitals on the heart monitor, and they luckily stayed level. He let the IV fall and turned his attention to Jason. Jason was looking at Nico with unfocused eyes. Will grabbed a bandage and wrapped Jason's arm to staunch the bleeding. He finished and let go of Jason's arm, expecting him to put it in his lap, but it merely fell.

"Jason. Jason? Jason?" At his name mentioned three times, he finally looked up. His eyes were unfocused and blurred through his glasses. Will sucked in a breath and grabbed some nectar. He grabbed the back of Jason's neck, and poured some nectar down his throat. Jason swallowed, reflexively, his eyes fluttering shut.

Will wondered what he tasted. Will always tasted his mom's cookies from when he was a kid. He blocked out the memories that went with his mother. His mother had had some problems when Apollo had left her with Will. She was a heavy drinker, and even though she loved Will, they had a tense relationship. Will had known Apollo from a younger age as he had come to visit him occasionally. Whenever Will's mother was especially drunk, Will had always felt his father's presence around him, protecting him, blocking out his mother's yelling. His thoughts were interrupted by Jason's eyes opening. He looked a little better, though he still looked exhausted. Will needed to get him to sleep.

"Okay, Jason, let's get you to bed. You need to rest; you need to get some more strength." He put Jason's arm around his shoulder and lifted. Jason was heavy, but Will had years of training behind him. Jason started protesting.

"No, no. I want to stay awake until Nico... Nico wakes up..." Jason started to fall asleep on his shoulder. Will managed to get Jason to an empty bunk. Jason fell asleep as soon as he hit the pillow. He grabbed Jason's wrist and checked his vitals. Though his blood supply was a little low, he would be okay, once the nectar worked through his system. He pulled the covers over Jason. He slipped off Jason's glasses too.

He ducked back into the bathroom. Nico's heart rate was stable. Will knew he needed to move Nico to a bed, but he didn't know if he could do that without aggravating his injuries. He decided he could better monitor Nico if he was in a bed. Carefully, he lifted Nico into his arms. Using his feet, he nudged the heart monitor along with him, the oxygen tank was luckily attached to the monitor. He walked out of the bathroom, Nico in his arms, the monitor by his side. He slid Nico into his bed. He adjusted the mask, making sure it was secure. He checked the bandages on Nico's thighs. Blood was seeping through. Will rushed to his bag. He changed Nico's bandages.

Because Will had moved Nico, that had caused the stitches to start bleeding, but the stitches were still holding the gashes together. The heart monitors were still on, giving a steady heartbeat from the son of Hades. Will relaxed. Nico was finally stable. Will decided that he could leave him alone for a couple of minutes. He needed to get some more supplies and tell Kayla where he was so she could cover for him. He walked out of the Hades cabin and into the sunlight. Camp activities were going as normal. He started to his cabin, but he was stopped by Piper.

"Will! Have you seen Jason? He went to go see Nico and I wondered if you knew... Oh my gods, is that blood on your shirt?!" Will looked down. His shirt was still stained with Nico's blood. Crap. Piper reached out for him, but Will brushed her hand away.

"It's not mine, Piper, don't worry. It's not mine. Everyone is fine. It's from the infirmary. I was refilling bags of blood. Jason is... fine," But, Piper saw right through his fib.

"Will Solace, you tell me where Jason is right now!" Her charmspeak broke through. Will suddenly found himself wanting to tell Piper all about what had happened this morning. But, by some willpower, he refrained.

"I can't tell you!" Piper looked surprised to see Will raise his voice. "I can't tell you! Okay, you have to trust me. Jason is going to be okay. He is helping me with something that I really can't talk to you about. You can't tell anyone. Everything is going to be okay." Piper looked reluctant, but she accepted what Will had said.

"Is he hurt?"

"Uh-"

"William!"

"He will be okay."

"Can I see him?"

"Piper! You have to trust me, please!" Piper rolled her eyes.

"Okay, fine! But if he isn't okay by the end of the day, I am reporting to Chiron and I am charmspeaking the entire Ares cabin to hunt you down and get the information out of you." She stalked away from Will.

Will swallowed down his nervousness. He didn't doubt Piper's abilities. He ran his fingers through his hair. He was so stressed. He knew Jason was going to be fine in an hour. But he didn't know about Nico. Tears stung his eyes. He breathed back his tears. He walked into his cabin. It was empty. He grabbed a shirt and changed out of the ruined one. He went over to the medical supplies stored in the cabin and pulled out some more bandages. He pulled these out and walked back to the Hades cabin. Nico was still unconscious. As was Jason. Will sat in the chair besides Nico, putting his head in hands. _What am I going to do_?

* * *

It was the next day and Nico still hadn't woken up. Blood transfusions could be difficult, but they usually worked in a couple of hours. And it had been 24 hours since Nico had last been conscious. His wounds had been severe, but he should have shown some sort of life signs.

Will had stayed up all night, monitoring him. Jason had woken up an hour after Will had returned to cabin thirteen, had diffused Piper's anger, convincing her that he was alright and had sat vigil with Will through the night.

Currently, Jason was worriedly bouncing his leg up and down, and Will was pacing. At midnight, Jason and Will had made a pact that if Nico didn't wake up at 9 the next morning, they would go get Chiron. Will agreed, assuming Nico would be awake before then. It was now 8:30 and Nico was dead to the world. Will really hoped Nico would wake up now, because he knew that Nico would murder him for telling others his secret. Jason had said that Nico had practically begged Jason not to go and get Will. He continued pacing.

"It's 8:30. Should we go get help? Nico should have been awake by now. Will, why hasn't he woken up?" Will grabbed his hair in frustration.

"I don't know. I don't know and it is killing me not to know why Nico is refusing to wake up. But, we agreed on 9 to go get help. So we will wait it out until 9."

The silence reentered the room, only disturbed by the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the flow of oxygen into Nico's mask. Will forced himself to take deep, relaxing breaths. Nico was going to wake up, wasn't he? Will hadn't been too late, had he? If Nico died, it would be Will's fault. He forced down the panic rising inside him. Nico isn't going to die. He is going to wake up. There is no other option. Will's thoughts prevented him from noticing the son of Hades' movement. He had readjusted himself, which showed that he was gaining consciousness, though it was unnoticed by Jason and Will, too wrapped up in their own heads.


	15. Chapter 15: Awake

_Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Nico's POV:

When he first came to, he heard the infernal beeping of the heart monitor. And the feel of a mask over his nose and mouth. Which meant he was in the infirmary. Why was he in the infirmary? A kaleidoscope of memories from the previous morning came flooding in. Nightmare. Bianca. His mother. Broken mirror. Blood. Jason. Then, nothing. If he was in the infirmary that meant Jason had told Will. After Nico told him not to!

He cursed mentally and readjusted, praying that Will wouldn't notice. Nico was almost 100% sure Will was watching him right now. Especially since he had been the cause of his own injuries. Which meant that Nico was going to be closely watched by both Jason and Will. Nico cursed mentally again. That ruined his plans to search for Leo. He wanted to keep that on the down low, not wanting to give false hope to anyone if he couldn't return with Leo. He knew he would have to shadow travel and if Will found out he was shadow traveling, he would never let Nico out of his sight. Nico knew the risks of shadow traveling again, he could fade out of existence, but it was worth the risk to make sure Leo got home. He would have to find a way around Jason and Will. He settled a little more deeply into his mattress, forgetting he was being watched. His eyes almost opened when he heard a whisper to the side of him, but he kept them shut.

"Will. Will, I think Nico just moved." He heard footsteps hurry to his side. A hand grabbed his wrist. Nico stopped himself from flinching, but only just barely.

"Nico?" Will whispered, inches from his ear. "Nico, are you awake?" Nico shrugged away from Will, and stirred as if he was just waking up. His eyes opened and found himself looking into Will's sapphire orbs. They were sparkled with concern and worry. There were bags under his eyes, showing his sleepless night. Nico felt a stab of guilt. He had caused Will to lose sleep over him. Looking around, Nico realized he was in his cabin. Nico tried to sit up, but Will stopped him.

"Whoa there, Nico, you can't sit up. You don't have enough strength right now. You've lost a lot of blood. If it hadn't been for Jason..." He trailed off. Nico's eyes flicked to Jason's. Betrayal filled his being. He had specifically made Jason promise not to tell Will. Jason's eyes dropped from Nico's accusing glare.

"I know, but I am not sorry for telling Will." His eyes flew back to Nico's. "You almost died Nico! Why would you do something like that to us? Did you think we wouldn't care? Did you think-?" He was cut off by Will's quiet voice.

"Jason, stop. Nico needs to rest. Nico?" Nico's eyes flicked to the son of Apollos. "How are you feeling? Are you dizzy? Lightheaded?" Nico shook his head. He didn't trust himself to speak.

Black spots danced in his eyes at the sudden movement of his head. He swallowed down nausea. He just wanted to be left alone. He looked down at himself. He saw a bandage wrapped around his elbow. He lifted his arm, examining the bandage. He glanced up and saw the same bandage in the same spot on Jason's arm. He looked back at Will, a questioning glance in his eyes.

"That was a blood transfusion IV. You lost so much blood... Jason gave you some of his. He saved you, first by telling me and second by giving you the blood you needed."

The words sunk in. Jason had saved him. Nico was grateful. He might harm himself, but he didn't want to die. He nodded at Jason, showing his gratitude. He looked back at Will who was staring deeply into his eyes.

"How about you get some more sleep, Nico? It'll make you feel better." Nico nodded, relaxing on the pillows. He shut his eyes and willed himself to sleep. He felt Will's hand, lightly touch his. He flinched, pulling his hand back, and Will slowly retracted his hand. Before he knew it, he sunk into sleep.

* * *

Nico stirred awake again, five hours later, with the taste of pasta in his mouth. Someone had force fed him ambrosia. Nico still felt exhausted. Because of his exhaustion, nightmares had stayed at bay. Looking around, he saw that Jason had stepped out. It didn't matter; everyone always left him. Except, it seemed, the son of Apollo who was dozing in the chair next to Nico's bed. Nico couldn't seem to get rid of Solace, who Nico guessed would only stick around until Nico was fully healed. Nico sighed and closed his eyes again.

* * *

Whispers broke Nico out of his sleep.

"I'm worried about him, Will," Jason's voice sounded over him.

"I am too." Will.

"How are we supposed to help him if he won't talk to us?"

"We just got to get him to talk. We got to get him to trust us, realize that we won't judge him or anything."

"... and how do we do that?" Will sighed, exaggeratedly, at Jason's question.

"And that is the number one question, Grace."

"What do we do until he actually opens up to us?"

"Be there for him. Show him that we care and he can trust us. Prevent this from happening again. Make sure he is clean. Try to encourage him to open up. We really need to figure out what his triggers are. Because one moment, he is his normal, brooding self and the next he is having a panic attack." Jason sighed.

"His triggers are probably memories from Tartarus, but how would we stop those? They are memories, it's not like he can just turn them off." At this, Will's doctor side came out.

"He could try repressing them, but I have a feeling he has been doing that, and that is why he is in the state he is in right now. Now, I am not an expert with Post Traumatic Stress with flashbacks and nightmares, but I have heard that best treatment is to talk about it, and relive the memories, maybe to accept that they happened, and start to let them go, though that might be difficult considering Nico has apparently taken a vow of silence."

"How can he let something like Tartarus go?" Jason's whispered comment seemed to fill the room.

"I don't know, I truly do not know." Will was giving up on him. Nico felt tears burn at his closed eyes. There was no hope. Tartarus was going to torment him for the rest of his life. He felt a tear squeeze out and run down his face. He prayed the other two wouldn't notice, but of course they did. He felt a hand brush the tear away. He willed himself not to flinch at the unexpected touch.

"Is he crying? Is he awake?" Jason whispered. Nico felt a hand on his wrist. _Gods_ he thought _don't let them know I am awake. They will just grill me and chew me out for hurting myself._ Will must have been really tired because he said.

"He is still asleep. He must be dreaming. Why don't you get some sleep, Jason? You've been up all night and just trained all day with Piper." So that's where Jason had been. Not that it had mattered to Nico. Jason let out a noise of agreement and Nico heard him get into an empty bunk. Nico started to relax, glad not to have been found out when he felt a pair of lips press against his forehead, accompanied by Will's voice, his breath rustling his hair.

"Oh, Nico what is going on in that head of yours?" Will pulled back. He spoke in a low tone again. "I am going to help you, I swear." He grabbed Nico's hand, and Nico didn't pull away. That's how he fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 16: Emotions

_Warnings: mentions of self-harm, nightmares, and panic attacks. Please do not read if any of theses upset you._

 _Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Will's POV:

Will woke to find his fingers still intertwined with Nico di Angelo's. Will grinned, giddily, and looked around. He then remembered why he was in the Hades cabin. The grin wavered a bit and Will focused on his patient. He was surprised to see Nico twitching every so often, little groans coming out of his mouth every so often. He was dreaming. Will knelt down in front of Nico, shaking him gently, trying not to wake Jason. After a minute, Will's shaking paid off and Nico sat up with a gasp, ripping himself from his own recollections. Will saw fear flashing the boy's eyes, his walls down, before Nico realized where he was. He reached for the side table, looking for something, but Will stopped him. He knew exactly what Nico was looking for. Barred from his blade, Nico slowly began to fold in on himself, pulling his legs up to his chest, but Will prevented him. Nico tried to protest, but Will shushed him. He sat back in his chair, bent down so he could look Nico in the face. He placed his hands firmly on Nico's shoulders preventing him from moving. Nico struggled, but then relaxed realizing Will wasn't hurting him.

"What happened? What did you see?" Nico shook his head, refusing to speak. "Please tell me, Nico, I just want to help." Another shake of the head. "Nico?" Onyx eyes locked onto his, but Nico soon looked down at his lap. Freeing one of his hands, Will pushed up Nico's chin, forcing him to look up. Nico's eyes opened, looking straight at Will. "Was it Tartarus?" Fear flooded into Nico's eyes. That was an answer in itself, but Nico gave him confirmation. He paused for a moment and slowly nodded, Will's hand moving up and down with him. Will bit his lip, and moved his hand so it rested on Nico's cheek. Nico didn't flinch. Instead, his eyes closed and he turned his head into Will's palm, nuzzling it. A tear slid down Nico's face, and Will used his thumb to brush it away.

"Shh, it's okay to cry, Nico. It's okay to not be okay. You've been through a lot; you deserve to let it all out."

At that, Will watched Nico's walls shoot back up. Nico brushed Will's hand away and used his sleeve to wipe away any sign of crying. He pushed himself up, ignoring Will's protests and started pacing. Will moved to stop him, when Nico suddenly stumbled, not realizing how weak he was or how damaged his legs were. Will caught him and Nico whimpered. Will's heart broke, as he carefully lowered them to the floor. Nico burst into tears and Will rushed to soothe him, rubbing circles on his back.

"Oh, angel, it's okay to cry. Shh, it's okay to need help," his voice sounded right in Nico's ear so he could be heard over Nico's sobbing. "It's good to ask for help. It shows you are strong enough to know when you need help dealing with something. Let me help you." Nico's face rested against Will's chest. He wrapped his arms more securely around the boy. Nico clung more to him which Will took as the boy accepting his help. Will heard movement and his eyes shot up. His eyes locked with Jason's, who was cautiously moving out of his bed. Will shook his head, knowing Nico would be overwhelmed with more than one person. He gestured with his head to the door, telling Jason to beat it. Jason nodded and mouthed _Good Luck_ as he silently slid out the door. Will focused back to his patient.

Nico's sobs finally lessen about an hour later and the death grip he had had on Will's shirt loosened. Nico's face finally emerged after being buried in Will's chest. Using his arm, Nico wiped away the dried tears and the tears tracks that had been left on his face. He was beginning to pull away from Will, but the son of Apollo stopped him. Nico started to struggle, but Will refused to let go. He shifted him back so Nico was leaning against the bed and Will was sitting in front of him, their legs still intertwined. Nico's eyes locked onto Will's and stayed there. Will didn't want to break the moment, but he needed to know what was going on with Nico.

"Are you okay?" He was answered with a nod. "Do you want to talk about it?" Shake of the head. "Nico..." Eyes flickered up to Will's, but quickly looked away. "You need to tell me what's going on so I can help you-" he was interrupted by the son of Hades who had refused to speak for days.

"I don't need to tell you anything. It's my personal business, not yours."

"It becomes my business when these flashbacks trigger you to hurt yourself, Nico." Nico flinched at the harsh tone, so Will tried to make his tone more calming. "I'm just trying to help you. You have some pretty bad injuries and I need to check how your legs are..." Nico shrugged.

"It's not that big of a deal." This set Will off. He had been trying so hard to keep his composure, but if Nico acted like him killing himself wasn't a big deal...

"It... It isn't a big deal?" Will lowered his voice into his scary-calm tone. "It's not a big deal that you feel the need to cut yourself because of the nightmares you are reliving every night? It's not a big deal that to avoid those painful memories, you are refusing to sleep? It's not a big deal that you haven't eaten a decent meal in weeks? It isn't a big deal that you almost faded out of existence?" Will's voice was getting louder and stronger with emotion, but he pressed on. "It's not a big deal- why? Because you think you are worthless? Or not good enough? Or that you don't mean anything? Let me make one thing very clear. You are very worth it. You are beyond good enough. You, Nico, are a hero, whether you like it or not. You mean the world to me and a hell of a lot of other people. When you hurt yourself, it is agonizing to watch you be in so much pain. When you have a panic attack, we are praying to the gods that we could take your place or get you out of them. It is a big deal! So, you need to stop this thing where you think that nobody gives a crap about you, and think about how much you are hurting those people with the things you do to yourself. You need to come to us if you want to harm yourself, we will help you to not do it. You need to come to us when you have a panic attack or after you have a nightmare, we will help you deal with it. You need to talk to us about your memories, we will listen. You are not alone and never will be because the people around you care for you so godsdamn much!" Will finished his spiel, breathing heavily.

Nico looked shell-shocked to hear someone speak to him with so much emotion. Will got his breathing back under control and cleared his throat as if nothing had happened. "So, can I check your legs now?" Nico's eyes opened in shock, but he slowly nodded his head.

He asked Nico to remove his pants. Nico blushed, but did so anyway. Will bit his lip when he saw Nico's thighs. The bandages were soaked through with dry blood. He looked at Nico for permission to remove the bandages, but Nico merely looked away in shame. Will peeled off the bandages and examined the self-made gashes. They were still bloody and cut very deep into Nico's skin. Will had done the best he could with the stitches, but at the time, he was preoccupied with making sure Nico had enough blood and wasn't going to die on Will. Will, with feather-light fingertips, slowly traced the gashes. Nico gasped and flinched, but did not pull away. Will closed his eyes and his hands began to glow. Murmuring a hymn to Apollo, Will moved his hands over Nico's injuries for two minutes or so.

Suddenly, the glow stopped and Will's eyes slowly open. That had been draining on Will's energy. He looked at Nico's thighs. The gashes had started to close up. It would at least be easier for Nico to walk, maybe without a limp. Will felt lightheaded and saw black spots dance in his eyes. That was the third time he had used his special healing power this week. He only used it in emergencies, but Nico had been one. Will was supposed to use his power sparingly and he has really pushed himself to his limit. He slowly lowered his head into his hands and braced himself on the floor. He realized Nico was shaking his shoulder and saying something. It took a couple of minutes, but Nico's voice finally registered.

"- Will?! Are you okay?! Should I get someone?" Will looked up to see Nico di Angelo's face inches in front of his. They were within kissing distance. Nico stopped talking and Will got lost in Nico's eyes. Will's eyes flicked down to Nico's lips and back up and then he cursed himself mentally for doing that. He wasn't about to kiss Nico! That would be unbelievably inappropriate and Will didn't know if Nico was even gay. He had been born in the 1930s so Nico probably scorned homosexuals. Will's gaze finally broke, moving his eyes away from Nico's. Will felt himself blush, and saw Nico blushing too. He cleared his throat.

"I'm okay, thanks. I'm just going to finish..." He started wrapping new bandages around Nico's thighs. His hands were shaking as he did it because he was losing strength. Nico placed his hand on Will's steadying him. Will glanced up, touched by the gesture. He focused back down on his work, Nico steadying him. He finished up with Nico's thighs and continued looking at his legs. Everything else was healing fine.

"Will?" He let out a noise to show he had heard Nico. "Are you okay?" He looked up to meet Nico's concerned eyes. That was a reversal of roles. Will was supposed to be asking Nico if he was okay, not the other way around.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine!" Will's eyes widened in shock about how hypocritical Nico was being. "I'm assuming that you have been with me the entire time I've been passed out. That probably means you haven't eaten, or slept in a couple of days. If you don't focus on your health, you are going to get sick."

"I- I... No, you don't have any right to tell that to me. I've been watching over you and making sure you were okay! If that means I don't get to eat or don't get sleep, then so be it. Your wellbeing is my number one concern." Nico looked shocked at the words, as if he couldn't imagine someone caring about him that much.

"Uhh..." The two boys lapsed into silence. After a minute, Will gained eye contact with the son of Hades. Nico's eyes were filled with something Will didn't expect gratitude.

"Will," Will raised his eyebrow in response. "Thanks for healing me and... yeah." Will smiled.

"You are very welcome. Now you should eat something and get some more sleep," Nico looked nauseous at the idea of food, but Will continued. "You need food whether you like it or not. Don't worry, you won't have to eat a lot. I'm going to go down to the dining hall, so don't even think about leaving." Nico nodded and watched as Will got up and departed the cabin.

Will closed the door and started the walk to the pavilion. Breakfast was in full swing, but the pavilion went quiet as Will entered. Something was wrong. The silence was disturbed by the clip-clop of hooves and Chiron walked past Will gesturing for him to follow. Will knew he had to get back to Nico soon, but he couldn't refuse to talk to Chiron. With practically the entire camp watching him, he complied. He ran to get caught up and he and Chiron started walking to the beach. Chiron arms were crossed behind his back as he pondered his speech before voicing it.

"An interesting story came to me the other day. The whole camp was wondering where Will Solace, Nico di Angelo, and Jason Grace were. At first, I believed that Jason has merely gone to fulfill his job as _pontifex maximus_ at Camp Jupiter. But then I thought that impossible because there is no way he could travel there and he is an unbelievably strict young man and would have told me if he was leaving. Anyways, the only way he would have been able to leave is using shadow- travel and I knew that you gave Nico strict orders not to do that. That got me thinking about where you two were. Nobody had seen Nico for a couple of days, which is sadly completely normal even if he can't shadow travel. But, you hadn't been seen all night. I was about to send out a search party when I was stopped by your sister Kayla." Chiron stopped as they felt the grass turn to sand under their feet. They looked out at the beautiful ocean while Chiron continued. "She told me that you were with Nico and had gone into the city." _Really Kayla_ he thought _that's the best you can think of._ "And I thought that that was suspicious considering one, you are not allowed to leave camp without permission, two, you follow the rules as much as anyone and three, you wouldn't just leave camp as you are the head of your cabin and head healer. But, I decided to believe her story because if something was truly the matter, she would tell me or you would come and get me. But when I overheard Piper mentioning to Annabeth that she had crossed you with blood on your shirt, I started to get worried. She also mentioned to Annabeth that she hadn't seen Jason either. Jason eventually showed up and I demanded to know where you two were. He blanched and said he made a promise and couldn't tell me, but that you two were okay. I assumed he stupidly made an oath, so I let him be, but when he kept showing up, I kept asking questions. And now, finally you show up. So I must ask you, where in Zeus' name have you been and where is Nico di Angelo?" He asked calmly, but with a look of _you-better-tell-me-right-now-or-I-will-feed-you-to-Peleus_. Will gulped, and searched his mind for an excuse. He couldn't grasp one. So he settled for the half-truth.

"We have been at camp this whole time. Nico got really hurt and his injuries were life-threatening, but I brought him from the brink. He is still recovering. And before you ask what hurt him," Chiron had opened his mouth and raised his finger, as if to ask a question, but Will stopped him. "That is patient confidentially. Just know that he is okay, and is on the mend. If he wants to tell you what happened, that is his decision."

"It is not patient confidentially of the patient is doing something that is threatening to his own life, Mr. Solace." That was a red flag that Chiron had an inkling of what was happening. "And at any rate, I am one of the leaders of the entire camp and an overseeing healer, so I am allowed to know the business of the campers at the camp."

"Actually, sir, you may one of the leaders and overseeing healer, but I am head healer and Nico is my patient, which makes him my responsibility," Will said, respectfully. "Sir." He added as an afterthought. Chiron narrowed his eyes, but he looked as though he thought Will had made a good point.

"I respect that, Mr. Solace, but know that if Mr. di Angelo's condition worsens or he continues to injure himself in the same way, I am going to have to step in and take charge." Chiron turned and galloped away. Chiron knew or guessed that Nico was cutting himself. Still, Will felt relieved as Chiron had allowed him to keep it between him and Nico. It was Nico's decision about who he wanted to share his secret with. Will walked back to the dining pavilion and ran into three very angry demigods. Percy, Annabeth, and Piper. Jason was behind, but had a sympathetic face towards Will.

"Where has Nico been?"

"We've asked Chiron, but he said he didn't know anything. We tried to go to his cabin, but Jason stopped us, saying he wasn't there."

"Jason is giving us this bullcrap that Nico is okay, but he isn't telling us anything!" Will held his hand up for silence, which he was surprised that he got.

"Nico was hurt, but I healed him and he is okay. I'm watching him and currently trying to get him some food. Now, if you don't mind," he walked past the four demigods, but they started following him. "Oh, and please don't try to find Nico. He is very weak right now, and doesn't need any questions. It's his decision to tell you what happened, not mine. Jason, with me." He said over his shoulder. Jason looked apologetically at his girlfriend, his best friend with his girlfriend. He ran up beside Will and they continued to the pavilion.


	17. Chapter 17: Searching

_Warnings: violence, gore, mentions of self-harm and nightmares_

 _Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Nico's POV:

His name being called out woke him again. He had another nightmare, but it was less terrifying than his previous ones. He shot up, only to be embraced in a warm hug. He flinched away from the arms encircling him, but then relaxed into them, his face against a well-defined chest. He heard Will saying that everything was alright, and he was safe. For once, he believed that. As soon as his heart rate got under control, he pushed away from Will. He rubbed his eyes and noticed sunlight streaming in. He looked at Will, who had been watching him. Will who had brought him back from the brink. Will who had stayed with him again. Will smiled at him.

"If you feel ready, you can leave the cabin. Just let me check the stitches." He did so. Although they were healing, the scars that were going to be left behind were always going to a reminder to Nico of what had happened. "They are healing, but take it easy today okay? We don't want the stitches to break."

Nico nodded and headed to the bathroom to get changed. He walked into the bathroom. It was spotless. Will must have cleaned it and replaced the mirror on his sleepless nights. No trace of the incident was left behind. Still, Nico avoided looking at himself in the new mirror. He changed out of his clothes and slid into the shower. He washed the dried blood on his body and carefully washed around the gashes. He gasped as some of the soap got into the cuts. Will asked if he was okay and if he needed help.

"I'm fine! And I swear to the gods if you come in here..." Nico spat out angrily.

Will must not have wanted to make Nico angry as no other comment was heard from him. Nico wondered why Will had been there the whole time. He said he cared about Nico, but Nico guessed he was only there because he was a healer. If he wasn't, he probably wouldn't even be dealing with Nico. He sighed as he ran shampoo and conditioner through his hair. It was getting long, but there was no way Will would let him anywhere near a pair of scissors, much less any other sharp object. Nico didn't even know where Jason had taken his sword, but he would eventually need that. As the last of the bubbles swirled down the drain, Nico turned the water off, and wrapped a towel carefully around himself, dried off, and dressed himself. He walked out of the bathroom and looked towards Will. Will smiled and gestured to the door. Nico, for the first time in days, walked into the sunlight.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Besides almost being tackled by Percy and Annabeth demanding to know where he was. Nico shrugged it off, saying he shadow travelled into some monsters and gotten pretty nasty wounds. They luckily bought it and Nico went on his way. He went to a couple of classes, just watching, not participating for the rest of the day. He had stomached down his dinner and was currently walking back to his cabin, Will following him, explaining that he was going to leave Nico on his own.

"And if you have any nightmares," _I won't be sleeping tonight_ he thought. "Don't hesitate to find me. You know where I'll be," _Yeah, finally catching up on the sleep I made you lose_. "And don't do anything stupid, like shadow traveling." _Well there goes my plan to start my search for Leo tonight_. "You're starting to heal, but we can't risk losing you again."

"Will, I'll be fine. I was on my own for a while, I can survive by myself in my cabin. I'm not afraid of the dark." He joked, but Will looked wary.

"Alright, but seriously," his eyes sparkled with sincerity. "Do not hesitate to find me if you have nightmares." Nico nodded.

"I promise." Will smiled.

"Okay, goodnight!" He squeezed Nico's hand. He let go and Nico missed his warmth. Will smiled and jogged back to his cabin. Nico sighed and entered his cabin.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since that conversation between Nico and Will. Nico had actually listened to Will's advice and not shadow travelled, putting off his search for Leo until tonight. He knew Will was right, and knew he needed to gain his strength back. During the course of the week, every morning, he had been accosted by Will and Jason, asking if he had had any nightmares and forcing him to show his wrists. Will then took him to the infirmary and checked his thighs to see if they were healing and if there were any fresh cuts. Nico knew that was going to happen every morning, so even though he had had nightmares, he refrained from cutting. After the first week, Will had stop checking his thighs, and little cuts started littering them again. Will and Jason said they were proud of him, and Nico barely prevented himself from vomiting at the sappiness of it. It's not like he was doing much better. He barely slept, and when he did, he had nightmares that often make him actually vomit. He never went to Will though. He wasn't going to admit he needed help.

To start gaining his strength back, he had trained both weeks in the arena, though not overexerting himself. Percy brought up the challenge they had made when they were in the infirmary, and though Nico was all for it, Will cut in, forbidding Nico from participating. Nico, angrily agreed.

Speaking of Will, he seemed to be like Nico's shadow, following him, making sure he wasn't pushing himself too hard. Although Nico could get annoyed with Will, they were actually beginning to become close friends. As close friends as Nico normally had, that was. Nico had started to fall for Will, but was doing his best to not think about it. Will, however, always followed around Nico all day until he went to his cabin after the camp sing-along which he blatantly refused to participate in, which only egged Will on to sing louder, next to him, and more out of tune. During the campfire, Will sang horribly out of tune. Nico had just spent the campfire in the shadows away from the rest of the campers. He started back to his cabin, to prepare for his journey. He ran through his plan on the way back. He was not going to risk shadow traveling yet, but rather use Mrs. O'Leary. He was going to the Underworld to ask his father about Leo and hopefully get some answers. But first, he had to go into Jason's cabin and get his sword back. He had prepared a backpack of some food, water, and ambrosia. He reached his cabin door when he heard Will's voice.

"Nico." Crap. "Hey."

"Solace."

"I was wondering if you were okay. You were a little distracted today." Nico had spent the day thinking about the places he was going to find Leo. His thoughts were interrupted by Will waving his hand in front of his face. "Hello? Nico?" He gained eye contact with Will.

"Sorry I just zoned out."

"That's what I'm talking about. You've been doing this all day."

"I'm fine, Will. Leave me alone." Will looked hurt, but Nico had to get rid of him.

"Okay, fine, but if you need to talk, feel free to talk to me. If you have any nightmares-"

"Come and get you, yeah." Nico finished. Will had said that to him every night even though Nico had never come to him. Nico had a feeling that Will knew that he was having nightmares. Whether it was his lack of sleep, or Clovis was a gossip, he did not know.

"Alright, goodnight Nico. Actually get some sleep will ya?" Nico nodded and opened the door to his cabin, closing the door on the son of Apollo. He heard footsteps receding as Will walked away. He breathed a sigh of relief. He walked to his bed and began to pack up his stuff.

It was past midnight and Nico quietly opened the door to the Zeus cabin. He prayed that Jason was asleep. The moon spilled some light into the marble cabin. Jason was asleep, his mouth open, glasses falling off his face. There was a book open on the floor, showing that Jason fell asleep reading. Nico surveyed the room, looking for his sword. It was in the corner, emitting its blackish glow. He grabbed the hilt, feeling safer than he had in days. He sheathed it by his side. He didn't realize that Jason started awake. Jason adjusted his glasses and noticed Nico.

"Nico." Nico whipped around. Jason's eyes were clouded with sleep, and narrowed as he saw Nico. "What are you doing here? Did you have a nightmare? Why-why do you have a backpack?" He started to get more alert, sitting up. "Are you going somewhere?"

Nico put his finger on his lips, and Jason surprisingly, stopped talking. Nico pointed at Jason and he fell promptly asleep. It was one of his powers. But unfortunately, it drained him. He steadied himself on the bed frame and breathed in and out for a few seconds. He walked out of the cabin. He walked across the dark lawn of the camp and into the woods. He whistled loudly and waited. He heard huge footsteps and was bulldozed by a furry brick wall. He patted Mrs. O'Leary and managed to fight away her tongue as she licked him to death. He got to his feet and calmed her down enough to climb on her back. He whispered into her ear that he wanted to go to his father's palace and her ears perked. She leapt into the shadow of a tree and they were whisked into darkness.

They materialized in the black marble palace of the God of the Underworld. Mrs. O'Leary started barking, excited to be back in her home turf. Nico slid off of her, and patted her on the neck. She scampered out the door to go play with Cerberus. He was in the entrance hall. He pushed open the doors to the rest of the palace. He silently walked through the halls of the palace. He walked out on the balcony overlooking the Field of Punishment. The fact that his father had this balcony overlooking the pain of the Field of Punishment disturbed Nico greatly. He shook his head and reentered the palace. His father could be in his chambers, but he typically didn't sleep. After all, it was only one in the morning. After scouring the palace, he realized his father might have been doing fortifications. After Thanatos had finally been returned, so many escaped souls had to be recalled to the Underworld. Some of those spirits had not been entirely happy about being sent back and had attacked the palace. Not that Hades hadn't been able to take care of them, but when he wasn't at the palace, sometimes spirits broke in and destroyed the furniture. Hades was adding extra security against those angry spirits.

Nico pushed his way through the front doors. He walked to the outside of the palace. Sure enough, he found his father directing a crew of skeleton workers adding black-marble bricks to new walls. Every so often Hades would point at the bricks and which would glow and seal to the remaining bricks. He was lacing them with magic, insuring spirits couldn't get passed them. Nico walked to his father's side and watched the progress of the skeletons. His father finally spoke.

"I know why you are here. I'm surprised you didn't come sooner."

"I was... Delayed." Nico simply stated. He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a smirk emerge on his father's face.

"Indeed. Who is that son of Apollo again? Walker?" Nico felt heat rise into his cheeks.

"Father!"

"Son!" He said in the same tone.

"If you know why I'm here, do you have an answer for me?" Nico forced himself to focus on his mission. His father looked bored as he continued building the wall.

"That depends, what will you do, if I answer your question?"

"No matter what your answer is, I will search for Leo Valdez."

"Are you sure you don't love this Valdez character instead of that son of Apollo? If you are willing to scour the entire globe for him?"

"Father!" His face flushed red again. His father smirked again and lazily looked at Nico.

"Well I can tell you that he is not anywhere down here." A bubble of hope started expanding in Nico's chest. That meant...

"So... Leo's alive?" His father merely looked bored and turned back to his work, ignoring Nico. "Right, okay. Thank you, father." He turned away, purpose in his steps.

"Oh, and Nico," he turned back to his father. "Wherever Valdez is, he is accompanied by a young goddess and a bronze dragon." Nico's eyes widened at the extra information. That meant Leo had found Calypso. Jason had talked to him all about how Leo had gotten trapped with Calypso. Leo was apparently in love. His father gained eye contact with him, and Nico tried to show his gratitude, by nodding. "Once you are done with all this searching nonsense, remember that you have a job to do, Ghost King. I'll be sure to send some spirits to give you more information for your quest." Nico thanked his father and jogged down the hill of the palace. He whistled for Mrs. O'Leary and she came bounding back. He jumped on her back and whispered in her ear. They melted into darkness.

* * *

Nico hadn't had sleep in a week. He started getting ghost visitors during the day who gave him clues about where Leo was. During the cover of night, he searched for Leo, Calypso, and Festus. He was getting closer to pinpointing Leo's location. He usually used Mrs. O'Leary, but campers had started to get suspicious that she was so exhausted, so Nico himself started shadow jumping. It was nerve-wracking at first, but he steeled himself and managed to shadow travel for the first time in weeks. The day after the first night had tried it, Will had noticed it the moment he walked out of his cabin. He interrogated him, but Nico had managed to shake him off.

He fell back into his old rhythm of shadow traveling. He had just made it to Quebec. He had heard a rumor from a ghost that a bronze dragon with a crazy boy and beautiful girl riding on him had just left France and was screaming about maple syrup. Nico made a connection to Quebec as French was spoken in both areas. He began to comb through the city. Asking around, he had apparently just missed a huge explosion at the warehouse in the edge of the city and giant hot-air balloon in the sky sailing away from it with a boy and girl riding it. The Mist and how much it manipulated mortals' minds sometimes shocked Nico.

He slipped into an alley and closed his eyes. He had just missed them again. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and trekked down the alley, reaching the outskirts of town. He saw an abandoned warehouse. It had a hole ripped through the roof, as if a dragon-shaped hunk of metal had fallen through it. Nico went to investigate it, hoping to find some clues as to where Leo and Calypso had gone. He silently entered into the warehouse. It had stacks of old machinery. He walked through the tangle of machinery and heard a voice.

"Curse that demigod! How dare he put a hole through our roof." The voice was gruff.

"Oh, quit your whining. I'm more upset that we lost him as our meal. And I was going to get the girl as my wife. Did you hear how rude she was about my eye?" Another gruff voice answered. Nico made the connection. _Cyclops_. He stifled a gasp. He couldn't face two Cyclops. He was so sleep deprived and worn out from shadow traveling that he didn't know if he could defeat a training dummy. He stepped back into a table. A hammer hit the ground with a deafening thud. The two voices stopped.

"What was that?" One whispered. Nico stayed still, hoping not to alert his presence. He heard sniffing.

"I smell demigod."

"That was the last one with his girlfriend."

"No! This one is different! He reeks of death." Nico slowly started backing up to the door.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck rose up. He moved his hand to his sword and went to turn when a sword tip ripped through his stomach. He gasped as it retracted and he fell to his knees, grasping his stomach. He hadn't been fast enough. The cyclops snuck up on him. It came into view, with a smile on his face, his sword dripping with Nico's blood.

"Look, brother. I found us dinner." The cyclops went to grab Nico, but the son of Hades reached for a shadow and whisked out of sight. He didn't know where he would end up. He guessed that shadow traveling used his subconscious because he ended up in the middle of the Apollo cabin. He gasped in pain, as black spots danced in his eyes. He heard several screams. He wavered on his feet as he gained eye contact with Will Solace. Will looked confused as to why Nico had appeared in his cabin, at one in the morning.

"Nico? What are you-" Nico slowly removed his hand from his stomach, revealing his bloodstained fingers and the gaping wound. Will's eyes widened in horror. "Gods, NICO!?" He sprang to secure Nico. Nico's eyes rolled back into his head. He felt arms wrap around him as he let darkness take him under.


	18. Chapter 18: Blessings

_Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Will's POV:

He wrapped his arms around the fading son of Hades. Will could feel the darkness emitting from the boy as he slowly lowered him the ground. Nico had been shadow traveling. Quite frequently. It explained why Nico had looked exhausted during the week. He focused back on the patient at hand. He laid Nico down and closed his own eyes. He began murmuring a spell and running his hands over Nico, trying to determine what was wrong with him. Besides the gaping wound in his stomach, centaur blood, poisonous for demigods, was coursing through Nico's veins. Also, Nico was severely exhausted, malnourished, and was close to fading out of existence. Will took in a deep breath. He blocked out all the frantic screams around him and only had eyes for the son of Hades bleeding out in front of him. He had to save Nico.

* * *

The next thing Will was aware of, he was being handed a glass of nectar and was sitting up in bed. When had he gotten there? And why did he have an IV in him? He noticed sunlight streaming into the cabin. He looked up in confusion at Kayla who was looking at him sympathetically. The last thing he remembered was... Nico! Nico was hurt! He started to stand, but Kayla pushed him back down.

"Easy there, Will. You need to get your strength back. You used all your strength to heal Nico-"

"Nico! Is he okay? Where is he? Kayla, I need to see him-" He tried to get up again, only to be pushed back down again.

"Nico is fine! You, however, are not. You are draining yourself. You need sleep."

"What happened, at least tell me that?" Kayla sighed, and sat down next to Will. She looked exhausted, as if she had been up all night. "I don't remember anything."

"That's because you passed out." Will looked in alarm at her, and she took a deep breath, continuing. "Okay, I'll start at the beginning. Nico shadow travelled in here and he was severely injured. You caught him before he hit the ground and started looking over him. You went into your doctor mood and started giving orders. We all- we all tried to help, but-but Nico was severely injured. We all got your supplies and we all did everything we could but- but he was failing." Kayla took a deep breath. Will urged her to continue. "He... He went into cardiac arrest," Will's heart dropped, but she kept going. "You started panicking, muttering under his breath. You started screaming. Everyone was scrambling, trying to stabilize him, but- but we were all thrown back. We all looked up and you were surrounded by a golden aura..." Will let that information sink in. He understood what it was.

"The blessing of Apollo?" He whispered. Kayla nodded. Will leaned back in shock.

"I have not heard of any Apollo child having it in decades." Kayla said. "You must care about Nico a lot and have passionately wanted to save him to be surrounded by that aura. Father rarely blesses anyone with it." Kayla paused before continuing. "You were surrounded by the aura, you started singing and Nico was surrounded as well, for about an hour. The aura around you started dimming after a while, and Nico was stabilizing. It was like... You were giving your strength, your life force to Nico. Suddenly, the light went out and you collapsed. Nico gasped, and sat up. But, he passed out again from exhaustion. We all rushed over to you and Nico. Nico was completely healed, his wound, just a scar. But you, Will... It was horrible. You had a really high fever and were having a fit. You started to fade, as if you were dying. We called Chiron, and he barely brought you back. You almost killed yourself, saving Nico." Will swallowed some nectar, to try and wrap his head around the situation.

If he had died saving Nico, it would have been worth it. Will, of course, didn't want to die, but if it meant saving someone, especially someone he cares about, then it would totally be worth it. It would make up for the lives he had lost. The people who had died under his watch stuck with him forever. He must have zoned out because Kayla was waving her hand in front of his face.

"Will? Will?!" He looked over to her. "Okay, you need more sleep."

"No, no. I need to see Nico, I need to check on him."

"Will! Can you just listen to me?" Kayla rarely raised her voice, so Will was shocked into silence. "For once, you have to put yourself first. I know you really care about your patients and I know you really care about Nico, but you almost died! I almost lost you!" Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but Will didn't say anything. He felt an overwhelming sense of guilt or putting Kayla through that.

"Well, I'm sorry. I am. But I'm fine now, see? Let me see Nico!" He stood up, but was shoved back down.

"You are not fine! You almost died! You have been unconscious for three days." Will stopped struggling as he heard what Kayla said.

"What?"

"You've been unconscious for three days. Your life force was fading! If Chiron hadn't had been here... We had to start you on a feeding tube. You had woken up a couple of times, but you were unresponsive when we tried to talk to you or feed you. It was terrifying. So, for once in your life, let someone else take care of you. You are exhausted. Sleep!" Will's eyes started drooping, and he feel back onto the bed. Kayla must have spiked his nectar while he wasn't looking. The last image he saw was Kayla taking the empty glass from his hands.

* * *

Kayla was keeping Will coped up in the cabin, saying he needed to rest and he finally understood why Nico hated the infirmary. He wanted to leave and check on Nico, but Kayla forbade him. So, Will did what any teenager would do. He snuck out.

It was passed midnight. Kayla had finally decided to take the night off from the infirmary, leaving Brandon in charge in her place. Will knew that even though Kayla had probably given Brandon explicit orders not to let Will in. Will could easily convince him to step aside. He waited to hear the telltale signs of Kayla fading into sleep. He threw his covers off and slipped out the front door, silently closing it. He stepped into the brisk air and jogged to the infirmary. He ducked inside and made his way to the infirmary doors. He silently opened them, but light spilled into the room, alerting Brandon of his presence.

"Hey! Kayla said I'm not supposed to let you in here-" Brandon said warily, getting up to block Will's way.

"And as head healer, I outrank her, and I'm in charge. I'm allowed in the infirmary."

"She said you'd say that, and she told me to get her if you kept trying to get in." Brandon started moving towards the door. Will intercepted him, pointing a finger in his face.

"You will not go get her. I am fine and if I really was that bad, she would be angry that you let me out of your sight. I just want to see Nico." But Brandon was holding his own.

"No."

"Brandon."

"No."

"Look, I just want to see Nico, so I don't care if you go get Kayla, I am seeing him! He is my patient and my best friend so I make the calls about him and his health! I care about him a lot and need to see if he is okay!" He whisper-shouted as he pushed passed Brandon. Brandon made a noise of protest, but then thought better of it. Will thought of a point and looked back at Brandon. "Oh, and Kayla hasn't had a decent night's sleep in weeks, so it will be detrimental to her own health if you go and get her. And you will face her wrath for waking her up." Brandon's face looked terrified at the thought, so he sat back down. Will smiled and turned back around.

He walked into the same room Nico was in last time. Sure enough, there was the son of Hades, sprawled across the cot. Will guessed that he hadn't woken up since he had been brought here. Will smirked as he noticed that Nico was wearing a hospital gown, a sign that Will didn't heal him as Will wouldn't have forced him to wear it, as he knew how much Nico despised them. Will walked over to Nico, taking his hand. It felt cold. He took Nico's pulse. It was steady, but slow as Nico was deep in sleep. He turned Nico's wrists over, no new scars along his wrists, thankfully. He peeled off the hospital gown to fully examine Nico. The gaping wound that was present when he had first seen Nico was gone, just a scar in its place. Will ran his fingers along it, confounded. How did a wound like that just disappear? He knew that the blessing of Apollo was powerful, but was it really that powerful? To leave almost no trace of an injury. No wonder Will had been out for days. His eyes wandered down to the boy's thighs. _No!_ New cuts had appeared since the last time Will had checked. Nico was cutting again. Will cursed himself, mentally, for not keeping a closer eye on Nico. He should have realized that Nico had been having nightmares. He should have realized sooner that Nico had been shadow traveling. Will shuddered as he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He put his hand against his forehead. He could feel a fever hot against his hand. His head suddenly felt so heavy. He sat in the chair by the bed. He let his head fall onto the pillow, next to Nico's. He then drifted into sleep.

* * *

Kayla's POV:

"WILLIAM FREAKING SOLACE!" Was the first thing the campers of Camp Half-Blood heard in the morning. Kayla should have felt bad about waking the entire camp, but she did not. All she felt was rage at her idiot half-brother. He was being a filthy little hypocrite. All his complaining about how sometimes his patients left their beds, and now he was the culprit. _When I get my hands on him_ she thought, murderously. She stormed across the camp grounds and slammed the Big House doors open, causing a picture frame to fall off the wall. She trudged to the infirmary and slammed the door open in there, causing Brandon to jump. His face turned into one of panic and absolute fair.

"Oh crap!"

"Oh crap is right!"

Kayla knew exactly where her brother was. She walked to Nico's room, about to start yelling at Will. She opened the door and was stopped mid-yell. Will's head was on the pillow next to Nico's and their hands were laced together. Kayla's anger melted away at the sight.

Looking closer, she saw that Will was shaking. Her eyebrows knit. She carefully put her hand against his forehead. He was burning up. She tutted and grabbed a cold washcloth, wiping the sweat off his forehead. She wrapped him in a blanket and quietly closed the door, leaving the two boys to sleep.

Nico's POV:

Bryce Lawrence and Octavian had plagued Nico's dreams. Their faces burned on his eyelids as he started to wake up. His eyes shot open. His heart was racing. He felt himself losing his form as the shadows from his dreams tried to claim him. He was shaking after experiencing Bryce's death again. _All my fault, all my fault, all my fault_ \- he forced these thoughts away as he tried to gain back his solid state. He breathed deeply. He moved his hand to grab something solid and his fingers laced with another hand. He looked over in surprise to find a blonde mop of hair in his face. Will Solace. Whose hand he was holding at the moment. He blushed.

As he thought about Will, and the way Will made him feel, he gained his form back. If Will was here, that meant he was in the infirmary. He wracked his brain for why he would be there. Something about Leo. And shadow traveling. Cyclops... That's it! He had been stabbed. He looked down at himself, flushing when he found himself in a hospital gown. He pulled it back to see his abdomen and find the wound left behind by the Cyclops' sword, only to find the skin unscathed. What? How was that possible? He tried to think of some explanation as sleep claimed him again.


	19. Chapter 19: Healer

Author's Note: Warnings: mentions of self-loathing, attempted self-harm, Solangelo ANGST, and Nico being really, really sweet (totally OC. It's really OC just warning you guys). Listened to Stronger and All of the Lights by Kanye while writing. Enjoy!

P.S This is totally just a filler chapter, with not much action. Mostly for developing Nico's and Will's relationship. As well as giving a little background on Will.

Disclaimer: While the contents of the story are my own, all rights reserved to Rick Riordan. This is my fanfiction.

Also, the themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are depicted within my story. TRIGGER WARNING. Do not read if self-harm upsets you. TRIGGER WARNING!

Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Hope you enjoy! Please Review! I want to know how I am doing and if any of you have suggestions. I always take into consideration what y'all have to say.

* * *

Nico's POV:

It had been two days since Nico was last awake. After Nico had been looked over, and told he was cleared to go, Will started asking Nico was in Hades had happened. Nico had explained which was why Will was currently interrogating him, his arms over his chest and footing tapping impatiently.

"What did you do?"

"I shadow travelled."

"And what did I tell you about shadow travelling?" Nico's eyes fell from his and to the floor.

"Not to do it."

"Exactly! What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed! You almost did get yourself killed!" Nico looked back up at him, his face filled with exasperation.

"I was doing something important!"

"What was so important that you would risk your life for it, Nico?" Nico looked down to the floor again. He couldn't tell Will that he had been looking for Leo. Nico mentally cursed himself for getting hurt. He had lost valuable time in searching for Leo. He was probably halfway around the country now! "Well?" He had forgotten to answer Will. He simply shrugged and muttered.

"I can't tell you." Will sighed.

"Nico! It is really damaging to your health. You got stabbed! And I know you had been doing it every night last week. Don't pretend. I saw you during training. You were dead on your feet. You must have been traveling during the night. You had an aura of shadow surrounding you. I should have intervened sooner. What were you doing?" Nico refused to answer. The silence stretched out before Will broke it.

"Just be more careful, Nico. I really hate to see you hurt." The statement sparked Nico's curiosity.

"How did you manage to make the wound completely disappear? There is only a scar left." Nico watched Will's walls go up as if reluctant to talk about it.

"I don't exactly know."

"Interesting." An awkward silence fell over the two boys. Nico cleared his throat, moving to get up.

"Can I go now?"

"Yes, I suppose, but take it easy." Nico jumped off the bed, and walked through the door. Will's voice stopped him. "Oh, and Nico?" Nico stopped, poking his head back in the room. "I saw the cuts on your thighs." Nico's face flushed. He felt ashamed with himself. "No shadow traveling at all the rest of this week. Go and get some sleep in your cabin." Nico was dismissed. He strolled across camp where daylight was fading, and onto his cabin steps where Jason was waiting. His head shot up as he saw Nico approach.

"Nico! How are you?" Nico shrugged and tried to go inside, but Jason prevented him. "Are you really okay? From what I heard, you were on your death bed."

"I'm fine, Jason!" Jason let out a small laugh.

"Ha, yeah right. That's why you've been unconscious for a week, huh? Because you are fine? How did you get injured anyway? I asked Will but he said he didn't know."

"I was running errands." Even as Nico said it, he knew it was a feeble lie. Jason's eyes narrowed as he detected the lie.

"Errands? For what?"

"My father. In the Underworld. I am the current Ghost King you know?"

"I don't believe that. I mean that you were running errands."

"Well, I was doing something important! Now get off my back. Stop acting like Will!" Jason looked at him severely.

"You should be nicer to Will! He saved your life. And from what I heard, he almost killed himself when healing you." That stopped Nico in his tracks.

"What?"

"Yeah, didn't you know? Apparently, he got the blessing of Apollo which is unbelievably rare and he saved you, causing all your injuries to fade away. From what the Apollo cabin told me, he almost drained his own life force saving you-" Nico tuned Jason out and forced his way into his cabin. He slammed the door shut and slid down it. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Will had almost died, saving him? He could hear Jason knocking at the door, but he ignored him. He ran to his bed and buried himself in his sheets. Another person had almost died because of him. What kind of person did that make Nico? Nico certainly wasn't worth people hurting themselves to try and save him. He deserved to die as he had been the cause of some many deaths.

* * *

Will's POV:

It was ten o'clock before Will had finally gotten away from the infirmary. He headed straight to Nico's cabin, with a bag of his overnight things. He honestly didn't trust the boy not to travel again and also, because his habits had starting up again, Will wanted to watch over Nico. With permission from Chiron, he was allowed to sleep in the Hades cabin for the time being to keep an eye on Nico. He got to the steps of the cabin to find Jason sitting there. He asked what happened and Jason explained their conversation. So even Jason, one Nico's closest friends, couldn't even figure out what he had been doing? Will let out a sigh and told Jason that they would just have to work harder to figure out what Nico had been doing. Will also brought up that Nico was cutting again and Jason let out a pained. "No!" Will reassured him that he was staying with Nico to try and prevent him from doing it. Jason looked relieved to be free of his vigil duty. He nodded to Will and walked back to cabin number 1. Will looked back to the Hades cabin. He slowly crept inside. It was silent in the cabin. Moonlight spilled into the room, illuminating Nico's face. Nico's face, and body, was tense with pain from Will guessed was his nightmares. Will sighed softly. Nico was broken and Will wanted to fix that. He brushed the hair out of Nico's eyes and Nico nuzzled into his hand. Will's heart fluttered and he continued to tangle his hand into Nico's hair. The son of Hades visibly relaxed as Will brought him comfort. He settled more deeply into his pillows and had a peaceful look on his face. One of that his last name suggested. An angel. Will's hand dropped back to his side. He ran his fingers through his own hair wondering what he was going to do about Nico. He glanced around the room for any visible blades, and spotted one on the dresser. He palmed that and hid it in his bag. When he searched the room, not finding any other blades, he decided to get ready for bed. He walked into the bathroom, closing the door. He brushed his teeth and changed into pajamas. He had already showered so he didn't need to do that. He exited the bathroom, flicking off the light, and made his way to an open bunk. He pushed his way under the covers and tried to relax himself into sleep. Somehow, with thoughts racing around in his mind, sleep finally overtook him.

* * *

A muffled scream woke Will. His eyes flew open and latched immediately on Nico di Angelo whose mouth the scream was issuing from. He moved to wake Nico up, but he had already woken himself up and was taking gasping breaths. Nico got up and stumbled to the dresser, feeling for his razor, and became agitated when he couldn't find it. He then opened one of the drawers and pulled a hidden one out. He stumbled past Will, without seeing him, into the bathroom. Will decided it was time to intervene. He sprang after Nico into the bathroom. As Nico was just about to draw the blade across his skin, Will lurched himself forward. Nico looked up in shock, and Will grabbed his arm to try and make him release the blade. Nico must have still been in his nightmare because he began fighting Will off. The two boys struggled for a bit before Will eventually got hold of the razor. He took it and with one hand still fending off Nico, dropped it into the toilet, flushing it away. Nico screamed "No!" and all the fight seemed to collapse out of him. He laid huddled on the ground. Will sat himself back up and gathered Nico into his arms. Nico whimpered, but soon latched himself onto Will's shirt, crying into it. Will rubbed his back, soothingly. Nico stayed like that for about a half an hour before finally lifting his head up. He gained eye contact with Will and his eyebrows furrowed as he realized what has just happened. He tried to pull away, an ashamed look coming across his face, but Will moved to reassure him.

"Shh, Nico. You don't need to feel ashamed. You went through a hard time and it's normal to feel scared." Nico's eyes still looked wary, but he stopped trying to move away.

"What are you doing here, Will?" His voice was so quiet that if Will hadn't had been a foot away from him, he wouldn't have heard him.

"I came to stay with you to make sure you don't have any nightmares and you don't hurt yourself. Chiron gave me permission to stay in your cabin for a while." Nico glanced up, his eyes panicking, but he quickly wiped that away and replaced it with an expression of exasperation.

"Well, you don't need to stay with me. I don't need help." Will could hear that the son of Hades didn't really believe what he was saying.

"Nico, I know it's hard for you to hear, but you do need help." Nico looked to the floor again so Will put his fingers under Nico's chin, and pushed it up so he could see Nico's face. His eyes were shut tightly. "Nico, look at me." His eyes slid open. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. We all need help sometimes. Like me. I'm a son of Apollo and I can't even shoot an arrow. I need Chiron to wrap his arms around me and show me how to hold it. Do you know how mortifying that is?" A ghost of a smile worked its way onto Nico's face, only to be wiped away again. Nico was trying to suppress his emotions. Will sighed, but continued, his fingers still positioned under Nico's chin. "It's okay, Nico. Now are you going to tell me what your nightmare was about?" At that, Nico tore his chin from Will's grasp and continued to stay at the tiles.

"It was nothing." Will fought the urge to laugh.

"Don't lie to me, Nico. It was obviously not nothing because you tried to hurt yourself."

"Why do you even care?" Nico's voice sounded raw with emotion. Will sighed and tried to brush the hair from Nico's eyes, but he flinched back.

"Because you are my friend." Nico spluttered at the word, Will guessed because he hadn't heard it very often. The two boys lapsed into silence until Will spoke again.

"Well, you cannot keep these memories repressed, acting like they don't exist, because they do and they are tormenting you. So I propose something," Nico's eyes flickered up, curiosity filling them. "Since, you refuse to talk to anyone about it, anytime you have a nightmare, or want to hurt yourself, you need to use a journal or sketchbook and write or draw whatever set you off or what the memory was. It would be a good way for you to stop repressing your memories." Nico's eyes dropped again as he thought about this. He looked back up, a questioning look in his eyes.

"Are you going to read what I wrote or look at what I drew?" Will considered this. He had to know what was going on in Nico's head so he could help him start to let go of it.

"I know it's your private business, but I need to see it Nico. I need to see it so I can help you start to heal." He stopped for a second and another idea popped into his head. "And maybe, even though you won't talk to me about it, you can talk to Percy or Annabeth about it." Nico looked alarmed at the thought and Will rushed to reassure him. "But, if you are uncomfortable with that, you don't have to do that. It's up to you. It's just an option, if you are getting sick of me and want someone to talk to."

"I could never get sick of you," Nico muttered so quietly that he didn't expect Will to hear him. Will felt touched at the statement. It was the first compliment he had ever been given from the son of Hades. Nico looked at him, with guilt flooding his eyes. "I- I just wanted to say, that that stuff I said to you a couple weeks ago. About you not being a good healer, I didn't mean it. I was trying to hurt you, to get you to leave me alone, but I went too far and it didn't work anyway. And... It's not true at all. You somehow manage to help me a little bit." Will felt the surge of sadness and guilt. But, Nico had been right, he wasn't a good healer. He had let so many people die under his care. He looked to the floor and it was Nico's turn to force his chin up so he was looking into Nico's eyes. Sincerity flooded from the depths of Nico's onyx eyes. "I'm being serious. You are a great healer. And no one who died under you; that wasn't your fault. It was just their time to go." Will looked at Nico, incredulously. _How did he know that that's what I was thinking about?_

"I knew because of the look you got on your face. The guilt and sadness." Will must have said the last bit aloud. "And I saw the scars on your wrist." Will looked down to his hand, and tugged his cord bracelets down them as to hide his scars. Nico stopped him, and removed the bracelets exposing the thin, barely there scars that lined Will's wrist. It wasn't as bad as Nico's, but they were still there. Every time Will had lost a person that he was supposed to be healing, he added another scar, but they were so light and Will had hidden them well that no one ever saw them. Except Nico. Nico was examining his wrist. "I noticed these on one of the nights when you fell asleep in the infirmary. Why do you feel the need to do this to yourself?" Will felt a surge of anger at the son of Hades. How hypocritical was Nico being, when these same scars lined his entire body? But then, his anger melted and he just felt shame. He hurt himself. The very thing that he had told Nico not to do. "Will?" He looked back into Nico's eyes. He suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to get this off his chest.

"They are for each of the patients I have lost, which, as you can see, are a great deal. I knew I shouldn't do it, but the guilt-" he let that hang in the air before continuing. "I let them down. I let them die. I didn't try my hardest. I should have worked harder, spent more hours in the infirmary." Sobs began to work their way out. "I could have tried harder! I am a horrible healer if I can't even save them. Their deaths weigh down on me every day, and they remind me that I am not GOOD ENOUGH!" He tried to stand to get away, but Nico dragged him back down, his hands latched onto each of Will's arms.

"Listen to me," Will tried to interrupt and get again, but Nico locked a tight grip on him. "I said listen to me!" This shocked Will into silence. "You are plenty good enough. You lost some people, but so had every demigod that has ever existed! Every demigod had someone on their record that they felt was their fault that they died and you being a healer has more than most people! But, none of their deaths were their fault. You did everything you could, but my dad just decided it was time for them to go."

"I'm a son of Apollo," Will sobbed. "I should have saved them. It's my fault-"

"It's not your fault! And I bet you that they would say the same. And just think of how many people you have saved. Including me." Silence filled the bathroom, only disturbed by the sobs lessening from Will. Nico looked like he was debating something. Then his eyes cleared, as if he had made a decision. "How about this, since you've taken care of me, you let me take care of you. How about when I'm healthy enough, I go to the Underworld and talk to your lost patients. I could ask them how they are and if they blame you." Will felt touched.

"You would do that for me?" Nico nodded.

"I would do anything for you. You saved my life." Nico reached down and grabbed Will's exposed wrist. He gently brought it up and placed a gentle kiss on it. His next words were spoken against Will's wrist. "Now let me save you." Will shuddered. Nico gently placed his hand back in his lap and took his hand off Will's arm. Will lurched forward, bringing Nico into a hug. Nico tensed, but then relaxed into it, bringing his arms around Will. He eventually broke off the hug. He stood offering a hand to Nico. Nico accepted it and Will pulled him to his feet.

"C'mon, let's get some more sleep." Nico looked reluctant.

"Will you stay with me?" Nico said quietly. Will smiled and said.

"Always." Nico crawled back into his bed and Will sat upright, next to him, with his back against the headboard. Nico struggled to get comfortable. He eventually settled down, but his breathing showed Will that he wasn't asleep. He brought his hand to Nico's back and began drawing shapes into it. He softly began humming and Nico slowly fell into a deep sleep. Will moved to go back to his bunk, but sleep claimed him before he could move.


	20. Chapter 20: Memories

_Warnings: mentions of self-loathing, attempted self-harm, flashbacks, panic attacks, violence, action, angst. Please do not read if any of these themes upset you._

 _Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Nico's POV:

Nico woke up, feeling more comfortable and safe than ever before. He wanted to go back to bed and started snuggling back into his pillow. Only then did he realize that it wasn't a pillow. He opened his eyes to find his head was on a Camp Half-Blood shirt. And under that, he could feel a muscular chest. He looked up and found himself trapped in Will Solace's blue orbs. Will smiled at him.

"Good morning." Nico smiled and mumbled a response back into Will's chest. He merely settled more comfortably on Will's chest. He then realized what he was doing. His eyes shot open and he struggled away from the son of Apollo. And he accidentally fell off the bed. He hit the ground, hard and started seeing stars.

"Nico?!" He heard Will call out and watched as the son of Apollo put his knees on either side of his body, to try to see if Nico was okay. "Are you okay?" Nico nodded and regretted it. His head was pounding.

He stayed on the floor with Will hovering above him for about ten minutes as the pain started to recede. He opened his eyes and founded that his vision was not laced with black. He propped himself up and saw the position he and Will had taken. If someone were to walk in, Will and Nico would look very compromising. And, because the Fates loved to screw with Nico, walk in someone did. The cabin door flew open and a figure was outlined in sunlight.

"Hey, Nico, are you awake- Oh my gods!" Jason's face was a mixture of horror and shock. He then flushed a deep red. "I'll just- I'll just leave you guys alone." He quickly closed the door. Nico groaned and quickly got to his feet. He pushed the cabin door open and followed after Jason.

"Jason, wait! That wasn't what you thought it was!" Jason stopped. He turned to face Nico, his face still red with embarrassment.

"What it looked like is that Will was there for more than just watching you," Jason's face took one of concern as he tried to put his hand on Nico's shoulder. "Are you okay?" Nico shrugged his hand off. "Did he try to take advantage of you?"

"Oh my gods, no!"

"Because I swear if he did-"

"Gods, Jason, will you just listen to me?" Jason lapsed into silence. "I fell and Will was just making sure I was okay. That's all that was. Geez," Jason nodded, but he still looked wary, as if he didn't believe Nico. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get changed."

"I'll wait for you." They walked back up to the Hades cabin. Will was standing on the front porch, his hand behind his head, scratching it nervously.

"Hey, Jason. That wasn't what it-" he was cut off by Jason holding a hand up.

"Nico told me nothing happened, but if you ever try to take advantage-"

"Jason!" Nico's face was reddening.

"-or hurt him, I will kill you."

"Geez, nothing happened." Nico glared at Jason. Will looked a little apprehensive of the son of Jupiter. But, Jason glared at Will and looked cheerily at Nico.

"So, you ready for breakfast?

* * *

The next three days passed almost without great incident. Nico trained all day and built his strength up so he could try to start searching for Leo and Calypso again. Will had given him a notebook and sketch pad so he could try to stop suppressing memories and so he didn't have to talk about it. At night, Will always stayed with him in the Hades cabin. He prevented Nico from hurting himself. Nico had taken a great liking to writing in the notebook and sketching out what he saw. He did it mechanically, almost like he wasn't actually there when he did it. He trusted Will enough to allow him to look at his notebook and sketchbook. He watched as Will read what he wrote and saw what he drew, and a look of horror always crossed his face. Nico always thought it was aimed at him, but Will reassured him that it was aimed at the fact that Nico had gone through all of this alone. Will then spend hours discussing what happened, though Nico never said anything. He had grown to trust the healer. His feelings began to bloom for Will as well, though he kept that under the radar because he still didn't know how Will felt about him.

An incident did occur during breakfast. It started as a normal day at camp. Jason and Percy were fighting over who was more powerful. The whole day, and previous night, Jason and Percy had been using each other's powers against each other. Jason had been doused with water more times than he cared to admit, and Percy's clothing was singed. Nico had to admit it was childish, but it was fun to watch.

That morning, however, Jason and Percy had gone a little too far. Percy had sat close to Nico during breakfast and was talking adamantly about the fact that he thought he was more attractive than Jason. Nico opened his to tell Percy to shut up, but was interrupted by a flash of lightning that hit the bench, inches away from Nico. Nico jumped in alarm and a memory from ages ago was triggered. He had seen this memory in a vision his father had showed him ages ago, but he was now experiencing the real thing.

* * *

 _He was chasing Bianca around a couch in a luxurious hotel. He noticed his father, gesturing widely as he explained something to his mother. His mother got up to walk away, but he was too intent on chasing his sister to care. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He stopped and so did Bianca. He smelled ozone in the air and his father screamed "No!" as he launched towards him and Bianca, encasing them in a black wall of energy. Nico shielded his eyes with his arms as a bright light filled up the room and a blast rocked the building. When the light had stopped, the debris settled, Nico looked up to find that there was a circle around him and Bianca where none of the debris had fallen in. He noticed that his father was off in the distance holding something in his arms. He and Bianca inched forward to see what it was. He felt himself gasp as he realized who it was. It was his mama. He felt a sob building in his throat._

* * *

He tore himself out of the memory to find that no time had passed. Percy was asking him something, a concerned expression knitted on his face, but it will like the world was muted. Jason had run up and was asking if he was okay. Nico started shaking as the memory crushed him. It was the first full memory he had gained back after being dipped in the Lethe. He started breathing heavily. He saw Percy's face tighten with alarm as he screamed something that Nico read on his lips. Will. Percy reached out and touched his shoulder, but Nico wretched it away. No. Nobody was going to get him. He felt himself shout "Go away!"

He tried to control his breathing, but it wasn't working. He crouched down, his head in his hands, trying to block his memories. He felt a hand on his shoulder and dark energy ran through him and to the person who was touching him. They were thrown back, but that didn't stop them.

Suddenly, there were hands pulling his. Will Solace's face showed up in front of him and was saying something to Nico. He couldn't hear him, but Will's presence, though Nico could tell that he was concerned, calmed Nico down. The memories started to fade as he came out of his panic attack. The voices telling him that he should have died in that attack from Zeus faded and was just background noise. Will's voice finally broke through.

"Nico, Nico! It's okay! Just focus on my voice." Will brought his hand up to Nico's shoulder. Nico saw red on it. He grabbed Will's arm before he could touch him and turned it over. Blood was gushing from a scrap along his arm. One that hadn't had been there a couple minutes ago. Will took his arm back. "Nico, it's fine. I'm fine." That's when Nico realized that Will had been the one to put his hand on his shoulder. Nico had sent his dark energy and thrown him off. He had hurt Will! How could he hurt Will? He started breathing heavily again and Will saw his face line with guilt. "Nico, I'm fine! It's just a scratch."

"I hurt you." Nico whispered, looking at his hands.

"Nico, look at me! You didn't hurt me. I'm fine." He went to put his hands on Nico, but Nico flinched back.

He got to his feet and Will got up too. He held his hand out, trying to show Nico that he wasn't going to hurt him. Nico made the decision to run and Will saw that on his face. He reached out saying "No!" But Nico was already gone. The crowd that had surrounded the two boys parted as Nico ran through. He sprinted across the camp lawn, tears threatening his eyes. He ran to his cabin and slammed against his door, fumbling with the knob. For some reason, it wasn't opening. Nico started to panic and tried harder to get inside. Using his shoulder, he forced the door open and shut it behind him.

He grabbed a hidden blade. He wanted to hurt himself. He wanted to feel the blade tear into his skin. But, he knew if he did, Will would not forgive him. He started pacing, trying to decide what to do. He lurched for his sketch book, and flipped it open on his bunk. He sat on the floor and started sketching the hotel debris as he remembered it. He heard a pounding on the door. He gripped the blade more tightly.

"Go away!" His voice sounded raw with grief. He heard the door swing slowly open. "No!" He yelled, throwing his head into his arms so whoever was coming in wouldn't see him like this. "Leave me alone!" He felt a presence standing behind him. Will's voice filled the room.

"Nico? Are you okay?" He felt Will crouch down next to him. Will knew better than to touch him at a time like this.

"Leave me alone!" Nico said into his arms.

"We just want to make sure you're okay." We? Nico thought. He raised his head a little and turned it to see that Percy and Jason had come in with Will. Both of their faces were lined with worry. Nico buried his face back into his arms. Will spoke again. "Can I see your sketchbook? Then maybe we can talk about what happened," Nico didn't say anything, which Will took as a response. He slid the book out from Nico's arms to look at it. He dropped it, exposing a different page. Percy gasped.

"Is that... Where I think it is? Nico, is that..." Nico cut him off.

"It's exactly where you think it is." He lifted his head to see Percy put his hand over his mouth, memories from his experience seeping in.

He grabbed the sketchbook and started flipping through the pages. Will was going to stop him, but Nico said he had a right to look. The pages were filled with sketches from Tartarus. And Percy recognized all of them. As he looked through them, a look of sheer horror took residence on his face and his eyes were broken. Nico could see the memories recalling in Percy's mind. When an image of Damascus hut showed up, Percy let the book fall from his hands. He sat down on floor, putting his head in his hands.

"You see it every night too, don't you Percy?" Nico asked and Percy nodded.

"I didn't think I would ever see that place, besides memories, but what you drew- that is Tartarus." The word hung in the air and Jason put his hand on Percy's shoulder. They all stayed silent for a few moments before Will broke it.

"What happened, Nico? What did you see?" Nico shook his head and pointed to the sketchbook. Will picked it up and sat down besides Nico. He flipped to the most recent page and looked at it. He couldn't figure out what it was, but Percy, who had emerged from his hands, made a noise of recognition. He slid over to Will's other side, looking at the page.

"Is that the hotel?"

Nico nodded. "How did you know about that?"

Percy looked sheepish. "A while back I had a dream and I watched as your father showed you this vision. But... Why did you react to it the way you did? You've seen this before."

"I experienced the memory." Percy looked confused. "My memories that were wiped in the Lethe are starting to come back. And I relieved that experience." Percy looked at Nico in sorrow. Will and Jason looked confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"A memory got triggered for Nico."

"By what? My lightning?" Nico nodded at Jason's question.

"What happened?" Percy moved to explain, but Nico said no.

"Nico, we need to know what happened." Nico sighed, regretting what he was about to do.

"I'll tell you." Will looked shocked. And for good reason. Nico had not ever talked about any of his flashbacks or nightmares. He merely drew them or wrote down details from them. But, he had never talked about anything before. This was a big step for Nico. Not only was he opening up to Will, but also to Jason and Percy. All three boys stood up straighter as Nico began explaining what happened. All three demigods sat in silence absorbing Nico's words. Their faces changed from confusion to alarm to sorrow and horror. When he was finished speaking, Jason looked murderous.

"My father did this to you? He killed your mother?!" Nico nodded, sadly. Will noticed and grabbed his hand. Jason noticed and looked at Nico's hands. "Nico, is that blood?"

He looked down at the hand that was still gripping the razor. Schist. He had forgotten he was holding it and has gripped it tightly for his entire story. He opened his palm, revealing the blade. Will sucked in a breath and plucked the blade out of Nico's hand, giving Nico a disappointed and sad look. He got up and started to the bathroom to get a bandage. Nico scrambled up after him.

"No, wait! Will, I didn't mean to!" He stepped in front of Will. " I really didn't mean to! It was accident!" But, Will had side stepped him and walked into the bathroom. Will didn't believe Nico!

He returned with rubbing alcohol and a white bandage. He wouldn't meet Nico's eyes as he sat him on the bed and got on his knees in front of him. Nico hissed as the alcohol stung his skin, but Will didn't apologize like he usually did. He wrapped the bandage tightly around Nico's hand and scrubbed the rest of the blood away. He got up to store his stuff and emerged, still not meeting Nico's eyes. "It was an accide-" But, Will cut him off, his eyes finally looking into Nico's. Nico saw they were laced with sadness and guilt as well as disappointment.

"Why, Nico? I thought we agreed that you wouldn't do that anymore! You said that you wouldn't," Will's voice was rising and falling with emotion.

"I didn't mean to-"

"If you wanted to hurt yourself, you should have waited for me so I could help you not to!" Will's eyes were flashing with guilt, as if he thought it was his fault that Nico had hurt himself.

"I didn't mean-"

"But you did! You cut yourself! And you've been so good. I thought I had helped you- what possessed you to hurt your-" Anger flared inside Nico.

"It was an accident! But when I got back in here and realized I had hurt you... I wanted to hurt myself because I hurt you!" Will bit his lip.

"But, you didn't hurt me. It was an accident!"

"I still caused you harm, Will and that makes me horrible! That's why I wanted to hurt myself."

"Nico, you don't need to hurt yourself because of me. Because you accidentally hurt me. I'm fine and it hurts me more to know that you want to hurt yourself because of me." Nico walked away from Will, leaving the son of Apollo's hand hovering in midair.

"Well that makes me feel loads better."

"Nico-" he moved to get on the other side of Nico so he could see his face.

"No!" Nico whipped around. "I don't want to cause you pain anymore. So you can just leave!" Will didn't budge. Neither did Jason and Percy would had watched the argument with dropped jaws. Nico forgot that Percy didn't know about his self-harm.

"Nico, we aren't leaving." Will said. This launched Nico into action.

"Fine! Fine!" He grabbed his sword and his already-packed backpack (he had been planning to search for Leo that night) "I'll leave then. Maybe then, I won't cause you as much harm." He backed into the shadow-filled corner of the room. "If I'm gone you won't have to worry about me anymore!" Will's face dropped into one of horror as he realized what Nico was about to do. He reached out to Nico screaming, "Nico!" But Nico had already been whisked away.


	21. Chapter 21: Running

_Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Will's POV:

"Schist!" He screamed in frustration. He hit the wall where Nico had disappeared. He took a deep breath and turned around to face Percy and Jason. They were standing and looked shocked at Will's reaction. They had never seen him get so angry. "Sorry. I should have known that he would have ran."

Jason rushed to reassure him. "It wasn't your fault. Nico is not exactly stable right now. You couldn't have known what would have set him off."

"But, I should have. I know how Nico is and I should have known what would have set him off. I'm his healer for gods' sake. I should have calmed him down! If he turns into a shadow or gets hurt, then it's my fault!"

"That is really not going to help get Nico back. And if he is in danger, then we should be out there searching for me. Now are you going to help or standing there moaning about how it is your fault?" Jason asked, his eyes flashing. Will opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off. "That's what I thought. Now, c'mon. We need to find him."

* * *

Nico's POV:

Nico pulled himself from the shadows. It had been three days since escaping from Camp Half-Blood and he had spent a majority of it in the Underworld. He gasped as he tried to get his breathing under control. He looked around. He realized that he was in Central Park, daylight bleeding into the sky. Not where he intended to go, but anything was better than Camp at the moment. He decided that once he returned Leo to Camp Half-Blood, he would not be returning himself, even if Will was there. He understood that he didn't belong and needed to go off on his own. He strolled through the park and nobody seemed to think that it was strange that he was a teenager carrying a huge sword. Thank the gods for the Mist. He got out of the park as to avoid any monsters. He walked into the city, dodging pedestrians and taxis.

He ducked into a coffee shop and slid into an empty booth. A waitress came up to up and asked what he wanted. He merely said black coffee and she smiled and said she would be right back. Nico watched her leave and then looked back to the booth. He barely prevented himself from jumping when he saw that a figure was sitting across from him.

"Hello, Ghost King," the man said. Looking more closely, Nico saw that it was a ghost. One of the ones who had helped him pin down Leo's location in Canada when he had been there.

"Hello again. Have any more information about Leo Valdez?" The ghost grinned and looked down at his fingers.

"That depends, what are you offering?" Nico slid his sword on the table.

"How about I let you leave here without using this?" The ghost looked alarmed at the blade as he knew what it could do.

"Of course, my lord, anything you say." He sounded terrified. Nico smiled, pleased that the ghost had understood its place.

"Now, do you have any information regarding Leo Valdez?" The waitress reappeared with Nico's coffee. She put it on the table and Nico wrapped his hands around it.

"Yes, my lord. From my sources, he is currently in a World called Walt Disney." Nico thought about this. Of course, Leo would think it would be a good idea to take his girlfriend, who hadn't seen the world for eons, to Disney World. His inner musings were interrupted by an Iris-Message appearing before him. Hazel's face popped up and her face broke into a smile upon seeing Nico's face.

"Nico! How are you?" She looked at his surroundings. "Where are you?" Nico was surprised to see her.

"Hey, Hazel. How did you get the call through? You didn't know my location." He said warily. It was necessary to know where someone was before calling them. Hazel waved his question off.

"There was this girl named Fleecy who worked with Iris and she said she could connect us with anyone at any time... Anyway, where are you? That's not Camp Half- Blood."

"I'm in the city right now." He decided to give her that information, to quench her questions, but nothing more specific in case Will went snooping and asked Hazel if he had seen Nico. It didn't matter that much though; Nico would be gone within the hour.

"Are you with anyone?" Nico looked across the table at the still-present ghost who waved at Nico.

"No, I'm alone."

"Why are you in city?" Nico evaded the question.

"Why are you calling, exactly? Not that it isn't great to see you, but why?"

"We hadn't talked in a while, and I couldn't fall back asleep, I mean it is 4 in the morning here, so I wanted to see how my brother was. Why are you avoiding my question? Are you in trouble?"

"No, of course not! I just snuck out of camp because I needed a break, that's all."

"Without permission? And at this time in the morning?"

"Hazel, its fine. I can take care of myself-" Nico said, exasperated.

"-Not the past couple of weeks." That struck a nerve.

"Hazel," he said, a warning tone in his voice.

"I'm just trying to look out for you Nico."

"How's Camp Jupiter?" Hazel must have understood that he wasn't going to answer her questions because she dropped the topic.

She launched into a crazy description of the events of the past few weeks at the Roman Camp. As she was telling him a story about Hannibal being in love with Frank when he had accidentally turned into an elephant. She was interrupted by her door slamming open. She and Nico both jumped and Reyna came into Hazel's room. Nico could barely see her on the outline of the Iris- message and she couldn't see him as she was too distracted about what she had to tell Hazel.

"Centurion, pack your things. We are going to Camp Half-Blood." Before Hazel could even ask why, she continued. "Nico's been missing for three days, and they just decided to tell us about it. At 4 in the morning. He was pretty shaken up when he left. He left no trace and they are concerned that he isn't coming back." Hazel's eyes widened as she looked back to Nico. She pointed the message out to Reyna. She hurried to Hazel's side.

"Nico? Thank the gods, where have you been?! Where are you? The campers at Camp Half-Blood are looking for-" Nico waved a hand through the message, cutting her off.

He thanked the ghost for the information and slapped a twenty on the table. He needed to get going. Hazel knew he was in the city, but that was the only information he had given her. With his head down, he elbowed his way through the New York streets. He gasped as someone ran into him and fell to the ground. He was about to walk away when he saw who it was who he had knocked down.

"Mrs. Jackson?" He hastily helped her to stand. Of all the people in New York, he of course had to run into someone he knew. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay, but are you? You looked like you're running from something. Are you in trouble? Why aren't you at camp?" She was perceptive, Nico gave her that.

"I'm fine, I was just exploring the city..."

"How about you come to the apartment with me? You can take a break and tell me what's really going on." Nico slowly backed away.

"No, it's fine. I'll just be going." He turned and ran. He ducked into an alleyway and Sally walked right past him. He watched as she pulled out a cellphone. She dialed a number and held it to her ear.

"Percy, hi! I know it's early, and I know you told me to call only if it was an emergency, but it is one... I just saw Nico di Angelo running down the street... He looked like he was trying to escape from someone... Last thing I saw he was headed in the direction of Central Park..." She pulled the phone away and looked at it. "Well, fine, hang up on me; I'm only your mother!"

She continued down the street, calling Nico's name. Nico waited until she was out of earshot to take off down the street. He headed towards Central Park. He knew that's where Percy was headed, but the entrance to the Underworld was there as well and he couldn't afford to shadow jump at the time.

He entered the Park, but stopped dead in his track as he felt a shiver down his spine. He whipped around to see Percy melting into existence with Mrs. O'Leary. His face widened in surprised as he saw Nico. Apparently he didn't believe that he had found the son of Hades so quickly. He slid off the hellhounds back and slowly walked towards Nico.

"Nico, you've had us worried sick."

"I would say I'm sorry, but that is a lie." Nico snapped.

Percy's eyes narrowed, noticing Nico's tone. "Why don't you come back to camp and we can talk about it?"

"No, I'm not going back to camp. All I do is cause people harm. I'm not doing that anymore." As he spoke, he failed to notice how close Percy was getting. "So just leave me alone!" At that, Percy launched himself forward, tackling Nico to the ground. Nico hit the ground hard and choked as the breath was knocked out of him.

"Don't run, Nico. We just want you to know that we care for you. We want to protect you. You are hurting yourself and need to stop!" Percy had pinned Nico's arms down, and Nico was struggling to move. He felt a surge of power and threw Percy off him, summoning some skeletons to help him. "Oh, so we are doing this now?" Percy shouted, as the skeletons came at him.

He drew Riptide and began slicing the skeletons, like butter, but they kept reforming. Percy summoned a wave from a nearby pond, dousing Nico and his skeletons with water. Nico felt more enraged so more skeletons broke through the surface. There were too many for Percy to handle. They overpowered him. The skeletons must have been reading Nico's emotions, because they tried to drag Percy underground. When Nico saw that Percy was struggling to breath and that his warriors were actually hurting him, he screamed for them to stop. They obliged and Percy was let go, gasping. Blood ran down his arm. Nico had hurt another one of his friends. Percy had been hurt because of him.

"I'm sorry!" Nico gasped. Percy looked down at his arm and realized what Nico was apologizing for.

"It's fine! I'm fine! Don't run-" But, Nico was already out of earshot. He muttered a command and the rock to the Underworld slid open. He slipped inside, the rock blocking out the sunlight.

* * *

Percy's POV:

Percy was beyond mad and unbelievably worried. He had spent the last three days looking for Nico. Once Hazel had called and said he was in New York, and his mother called him as well, he set off immediately for Central Park. And once he had found Nico, the son of Hades had gotten away. Perfect. Percy was pissed off. He had just been humiliated in a fight against Nico. And then, he failed to realize how stupid he had been to challenge Nico, as the son of Hades wasn't strong enough yet. He was currently pacing back and forth in front of the Underworld entrance with Mrs. O'Leary, who was asleep, unable to travel at the moment. Percy knew that a team of demigods were on their way to the city so, if Percy had successfully apprehended Nico, they could bring him back to camp. Percy phoned the van. Annabeth answered on the second ring.

"Do you have him?"

"No."

"Percy! What did you do?" Annabeth admonished.

"He was trying to get away and we started using our powers against each other and he beat me. And managed to get into the Underworld. Which I can't get into because I taxed out Mrs. O'Leary." Annabeth cursed, and explained, rapid-fire, to Will. Percy heard muffled cursing and Annabeth spoke again.

"We will be there in two minutes. And maybe we can get into the Underworld." With that, she hung up. Percy stowed the phone back into his pocket. He prayed that his phone call wouldn't alert any monsters. He continued pacing until help arrived.


	22. Chapter 22: Discovery

_Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Nico's POV:

Nico had listened to Percy go over what was happening on the phone. When he realized that other demigods were on their way, Nico decided to seal off the entrance so they wouldn't be able to enter. Dark spots dotted his vision, but he shook them off and made the descent into the Underworld.

Nico plodded down the narrow stairs, almost slipping a couple of time. He really needed to sleep. Accustom to the dark, he could still barely see anything in front of him. He continued down the narrow steps until he finally heard the sound of the Styx. He emerged at the base of a cliff, on black, volcanic sand. To his right, the river Styx gushed its toxic waters while the fires burned on the ramparts of Erebos to the left. _Home_ Nico thought drearily.

Nico kicked up sand as he made his way towards his father's kingdom. He passed through the kingdom's gates without problem, some spirits kneeling before him, recognizing he was the Ghost King. He disregarded them and continued through his father's realm. He saw Cerberus, who whimpered expectantly as him, expecting to be played with.

"Not today, boy. I'm just too tired" he muttered as he passed the three-headed Rottweiler. The security ghouls acknowledged him as he walked through the Fields of Asphodel. He walked, ignoring the lost souls wandering.

After twenty minutes, he finally came up on his father's palace. Even if his friends tried to get down in the Underworld (which they likely would be unable to do as Nico had sealed that entrance) they would not be able to enter Hades' Palace. Nico pushed open the doors to the entrance of the palace. As he walked through the entrance hall, he planned just to slip into the kitchen and eat, then go to his room and sleep for a couple of hours. His plans were foiled as he tried to tiptoe past the throne were and was stopped by his father's voice booming out.

"Nico!" _Schist_. He straightened and walked into the throne room. Hades was lounging in his throne, Persephone sitting on the arm of it. Persephone gave him a death glare and Nico merely sneered at her. His father cleared his throat and Nico kneeled, before looking towards his father.

"Were you thinking about coming home without saying hello?"

"I would prefer him not to come home."

"Persephone!" Hades warned.

"Look, if you are just going to argue, I can leave. Is there any reason you called me in here father?" Nico asked, exasperated.

Hades looked affronted to have been told off by his son, but continued. "Yes, what was your motive for sealing off Orpheus's entrance?" Nico struggled to think of an excuse.

"I was being chased by some… rogue spirits and just barely escaped them…" Nico knew the excuse was feeble and apparently his father thought so too as he narrowed is eyes.

"Rogue spirits? You've brought down Titans, and can't handle rogue spirits? The so-called 'Ghost King'?" That struck a nerve for Nico.

"No, sir. I've overtaxed myself shadow-traveling, so I didn't want to overexert myself-"

"That's never stopped you before."

"I- I-"

"Why not just use that one friendly hellhound you have at camp, so you don't overexert yourself?"

"I didn't think of that, sir." Nico looked down at his shoes. Hades whistled and Mrs. O'Leary materialized in the throne room. _Good_ Nico thought _At least Percy can't get down here._

"And, since you can't handle these pesky spirits, maybe I should just send a group of guards to take them out." Nico's eyes shot up in alarm.

"No, father!" Nico couldn't risk his friends being attacked by Underworld guards. His father smiled coolly.

"But why not? You said yourself you couldn't handle them. I am happy to offer my services."

"They weren't spirits-"

"They were your friends, I know. I am God of the Underworld. I see all that happens in my realm. Your deception shows that you were running from them and are ashamed. My question is why?" Nico was at a loss for words. "I'm waiting."

"I- I don't think that is any of your business." Nico stuttered out. Persephone gasped.

"How _dare_ you speak to your father that way. Show some respect to your-"

Hades held up a hand. "Persephone, leave us."

She looked indignant. "But-"

"Leave!" He said forcefully, eyes flaming. With a look of disgust, she vanished. Hades fixed his eyes on Nico. "Now, tell me what is happening."

"Why should I?" Nico knew this was risky, but he was honestly too exhausted to care. "You've never been there for me and just decide to now?"

"I'm trying, Nico!" Anger filled his voice, but the god quickly cooled himself down. "If you aren't going to tell me, I'm just going to have to find out this information on my own." Hades flicked his hand and an orb appeared in the center of the room. A scene was playing on it and Nico realized that it was his friends trying to break into the Underworld. Percy and Jason were pushing the rock. After a minute of struggling, Percy spoke.

"It's no use. We have been trying for an hour. I don't think we are going to be able to get down there. Could Hazel shadow-travel down?" The orb shifted to show Hazel, Reyna, Will, and Frank off to the side. Nico's heart jumped when he saw Will. He was leaning over Hazel, checking her pulse. Hazel was on the ground, her head in Frank's lap. Will looked up at Percy's words.

"She overexerted herself jumping to here from Camp Jupiter. There is no telling when she will be conscious or ready to jump again."

"I don't want her to hurt herself! She is not jumping again for the next couple of days!' Frank's eyes were bright with concern. Nico watched as Will stood up and straightened.

"There's nothing we can do," Jason muttered. Will was murmuring under his breath. He walked over to the rock and, to everyone's surprise, punched it. Nico winced as he heard the bones break and the loud gasp of his friends.

"Gods damn it, Nico. Why did you have to run? Come back." Will breathed against the rock, fighting back tears.

He went in for another punch but Jason pulled him back. Nico stepped closer to the orb, unaware of what he was doing. _Will._ Will fought against Jason, but Jason managed to pin his arms down. After a minute, Will stooped resisting and collapsed onto the ground, kneeling. A sigh went through everyone and Jason crouched down next to Will. He spoke in a low tone so only Will could hear.

"I'm sorry, Will. I know how much he means to you. And he will come back eventually. He just needs some time," Jason stood, his hand on Will's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. But there isn't anything we can do right now." Jason walked away to round everyone back onto the van. Will looked up, right at Nico.

"Oh, Nico…" He was about to say something else, but Nico had seen enough. He waved his hand through the scene and the image was disturbed and cut off. He sneaked a glance at his father, would had watched everything unfold. His hands were folded under his chin in concentration. He considered Nico.

"Why run from them? They seem to care about you a lot. Unless… that Will character. You are ashamed about how you feel about him?" Nico said nothing, which Hades took as an answer. "Well, I can tell you that I have had flings with men back in my day. Don't mention it to Persephone, but it really is nothing to be asham-" Nico interrupted.

"Please don't. I really don't want to know about your past relations, father. And I really do not wish to discuss this matter with you, so if you excuse me, I will be in my room. Sir." He added as an afterthought. Hades must have realized he wasn't getting anything out of his son, but he dismissed him.

"Do try and get some rest, Nico. We wouldn't want you to exhaust yourself. And your friends with the dragon are still in that Park that your informant told you about this morning and that they plan to stay there for the rest of the day and most of the night."

"Thank you, father. Is that all?"

"Yes, you are excused." Nico pivoted and walked towards the exit. "And Nico, believe me, you really have nothing to be asham-" His voice was cut off by the loud thud of the doors closing.

* * *

Nico melted into existence. He looked around to find himself in the middle of Disney World. He stumbled as he pulled himself out of the shadow. The spirits had called to him again and he looked at his hands. They were turning wispy. Will had been right; he was too weak to shadow travel. He closed his eyes, and clenched his fists. He could worry about his form once he completed his mission.

After sleeping (luckily without nightmares) for sixteen hours, Nico had awoken, eaten some food, and prepared himself to jump. He had first shadow travelled to the parking lot and found Festus snoozing in the lot designated for a park called Magic Kingdom. The park was eerie at night, with no tourists in sight. It was quiet as well. Nico started along the pathways, looking for any evidence of Leo.

Suddenly, an excited scream broke through the silence of the night as machinery started up. Nico whipped around to see the ride called Thunder Mountain light up. He jogged over to the attraction and entered into the gates that had already been picked. He walked through the line and made it to the loading point of the ride. He took one look at the control panel and knew that Leo had messed with it. Listening to the excited screams issuing from the cart, he could hear Leo's voice and a very feminine voice telling him he was being childish. He guessed that that was Calypso. He leaned back against the railing, crossing his arms as he waited for Leo and Calypso to return.

He looked up as the track rattled and the cart pulled into the loading bay. Leo looked just as he did before he left. His eyes were sparkling with excitement and his playful spirit shone through. Calypso, who was sitting next to him, had her arms crossed with an annoyed expression on her face, but Nico saw that her eyes were twinkling with joy. Neither of them noticed Nico as they came to a stop. Nico did tend to blend into the shadows. The bar on their seat came up and Leo jumped out of it.

"WOO! That was awesome! Would you care to go again my fair lady?" Calypso rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. Leo took that as a yes and bounded over to the control panel. Nico decided to cut in.

"Having fun?" It caused quite the reaction. Leo gasped, spinning around, and pulling a hammer from his belt, and pointing it at Nico. Calypso jumped and her eyes swiveled to where Nico was standing.

"Leo, who is-?"

"Nico?!" Leo broke out into a huge grin. "Aw, man. What are you doing here?" He went to go in for a hand shake, but then thought better of it.

"Looking for you," Nico came off of the railing and looked around. "You are not an easy person to find."

Leo had helped Calypso out of the cart and put his hand to the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "I didn't know anyone was looking for me."

"Leo, you've been gone for a month! Everyone thinks that you are dead."

"A month?!" Nico didn't say anything, so Leo went on. "And you didn't?"

"I spoke with my father and found out you weren't."

"But you didn't tell anyone?"

"I didn't want to give them false hope. They have been in mourning." Leo smirked.

"I knew they would miss me. After all-" Nico cut him off, anger rising inside him.

"Leo, they think you are dead. Every single one of them are dealing with survivor's guilt. Because of you. You have been dawdling around the world while your friends are grieving for you. You can't keep letting them think you are dead. Jason lost his best friend, how do you think he is feeling? You owe it to them to tell them you are alive. How dare you just let them believe that all they have done has been for nothing because they lost you. How dare you let them deal with that survivor's guilt?" Nico was breathing heavily with emotion.

Although he personally had not been great friends with Leo before he disappeared, he saw how much it had hurt Jason and how much pain it had caused him. Leo was currently processing what Nico had said and was opening and closing his mouth like a fish. He looked shocked to hear Nico speak so passionately. He also looked guilty, which was what Nico was going for.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Nico was on a roll. "Camp Half-Blood is your home. Those campers are your family. How dare you throw that all away. Now, I expect to see you back at Camp in a day or two. And if I don't, I am going to make you wish Gaea had successfully killed you," Nico turned on his heel, leaving behind a very confused Leo and equally befuddled Calypso. He walked to the wall and melted into the shadows.


	23. Chapter 23: Past

_Warnings: major angst, adult language, mentions of self-harm, panic attacks, anxiety. Please do not read if any of these themes upset you_

 _Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Will's POV:

It was 1:30 in the morning. Will was tossing and turning, too distracted by his worry for Nico to sleep. He thought about what had happened earlier in the day. The van had arrived in Central Park and found Percy doing everything he could to get into the entrance. Even though it had been Orpheus's door, no amount of music, whether it be by instrument, voice, or a recording from a phone, could open the door making Will believe that Nico had sealed the entrance. After thirty minutes of trying, Mrs. O'Leary had finally woken up. But just as they were about to ask her to take them down, she stiffened and had jumped into a shadow. As Mrs. O'Leary disappeared, Hazel, Frank, and Reyna had arrived. Soon after landing, Hazel had conked out. After trying to move the rock by sheer force, Percy and Jason had given up and Will had punched the rock in frustration, something he was deeply regretting now. The ambrosia had mended the bones, but it still hurt like Hades.

After another 5 minutes of not falling asleep, he threw the covers off. He carefully pulled on a jacket and silently slipped out of his cabin. He waited until the harpies passed by before sprinting across the lawn to Cabin Thirteen to see if there was any sign of Nico. He creaked the door open. The Greek Fire illuminated the empty room as Hazel was sleeping off her shadow-jumping in the infirmary. He scoured the room for any clues of where Nico could be and found nothing. He sat down on the bed, head in his hands, worried beyond belief. He laid back, inhaling the fading traces of Nico on the bed. _What am I going to do_?

* * *

A door opening is what woke Will. Sunlight filtered into the room as he sat up. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes to see Nico entering the cabin. Nico headed to the dresser, not seeing Will. Will was relieved to see him, but anger at the worry Nico had caused him filled his being. He didn't say anything, waiting for Nico to see him. He glanced at his watch. 8 am. Nico rummaged around in the drawers, throwing stuff into his bag. He turned to go into the bathroom and ran into the dresser.

"Shit." He muttered under his breath, in pain. Will took this opportunity.

"Shit is right." Nico's head whipped to look at Will. His eyes dilated in panic as he realized who it was. "Where have you been?"

"Out." Nico shortly answered.

"What were you thinking, Nico? You can't keep risking yourself like that." He stood up, crossing his arms. He got no answer. "You can't just run from what scares you or when things get hard or when your emotions get too much-" Nico spluttered as he walked passed him. Will grabbed his arm and swung him around. Nico jerked his arm away and faced the healer.

"What scares me? Things get hard?! You don't know a thing about when things get hard. Or when things scare you. You never watched your mother get incinerated in front of you! You never lost your sister after being promised she would be kept alive! You never had to train for hours on end to start to master your powers, almost draining your life force, only to find out that the powers make you an outcast and hated and feared. Or tried everything to find some way to bring your sister back! Hard is realizing that you sister, who you had done everything you could searching for, moved on and forgot about you, leaving you no way to ever see her again!" Nico's voice cracked.

Will could see the raw anguish in his eyes, and understood that all the stress and pressure was finally getting to Nico and he just broke.

"You don't know what hard is unless your father thinks that you are incompetent. You don't know how to deal with emotions unless you live with a secret that makes you even more ostracized! Makes you an abomination. Makes you fill with self-loathing. Makes you even more alone. Hard is when you are given an impossible task, but you still try to complete it because the fate on the world is on your shoulders."

At some point Nico started pacing across the room. He had tears shining in his eye, but he refused to let them fall. Though, his emotions were causing his voice to rise and fall.

"And don't even get me started on scared. Scared. Terrified. Absolutely horrified. I have one word...Tartarus. Just the mere sight of that place... the images almost make you go insane...And to have the goddess of misery say you carry so much pain and sorrow... And to be kidnapped by Giants?! And used as a pawn... That kind of fear. That kind of pure terror- it does stuff to you. Stuff that you can't recover from-"

Nico was frantic, gesticulating wildly, not fully in control of his emotions.

"And if Tartarus wasn't bad enough, you get another impossible task, but being determined to do it because you made a promise! During which you are humiliated and mortified and have your biggest secret ripped from you and revealed..." _What secret was Nico talking about?_ "And then you volunteer to move a colossal statue across the world because you are the only one who can! And to weaken yourself so much that you almost fade into nothing. And hard and fear show up when you are trying to protect someone and you show the evil side and the dark side and confirm everyone's fears by completely obliterating someone. Just to have all your secrets and darkest thoughts regurgitated again. And then when you eventually come back to the place where you are supposed to be accepted and safe, you screw it up by letting someone destroy themselves. And to still feel alone when everyone tells you you're not. And trying to do what your friends want, but can't because you are incompetent and not strong enough to! And to be terrified of yourself because you can't control your powers and have uncontrollable panic attacks that pop up at random times so you can't even have a normal conversation without being triggered. And if that doesn't seem like enough, then you get plagued by nightmares that are so bad that it is better to stay awake until eventually you literally can't keep your eyes open and you pass out from exhaustion.

"So yes, Solace, yes, yes! I have every right to run away from my problems and my emotions and when things get hard and scary! You might think that I should be strong enough to handle whatever is thrown at me, but I'm not! I'm not! I have tried to be, but I can't. I can't even stop hurting myself. I have been through so much pain and so much suffering that sometimes I just want to end it!" He ended in a scream. Silence filled the room.

"Nico-" Will breathed.

"So don't pretend to understand me. Don't pretend like you know what I am going through. Because you don't get it. You may be a damn good healer, but I am too shattered and too broken to be healed!" All the tension and stress seemed to go out of him as he slid down the wall, collapsing onto the floor. Will was silent a moment before walking over to him. He sat next to Nico, his back against the wall.

"I didn't know. I'm sorry. I forget how much pain you have suffered in your life." Will whispered. He lightly touched Nico's hand. He flinched away. Will slowly retracted his hand. "It's not fair at all. And what you suffered is unimaginable. But I can tell you one thing. You are not alone. Even if you don't believe it, you have amazing friends and people who care about you. Heck, Reyna, Hazel, and Frank are already here, looking for you. Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper were all so frantic when you went missing. And me. I care about you a lot Nico. I would do anything for you. And I will always be here for you." Nico wiped his face clear of any incoming tears and slowly stood.

Suddenly, Will heard a commotion outside. His head whipped towards the window as he walked over to it. He pulled the curtain aside and looked to see campers congregating on the beach.

"What is happening?" He started towards the door and Nico slowly followed. He jogged out of Cabin 13 and towards the beach. He arrived at the edge of the crowd, next to Percy, Annabeth, Jason, and Piper. Reyna, Frank, and Hazel were standing a little way away.

"What is happening?" He repeated, looking at Percy, to see him squinting up at the sky. He looked up, covering the sun with his hand to see a shimmering bronze in the distance.

"One of the Stoll brothers was on scouting duty and they saw whatever that is. We are trying to figure out what it is-" he was cut off by a faraway scream, issuing from the bronze thing in the sky.

"ARGHAGHG-"

"What was that?"

"I'm going to go check it out," Jason said, taking off. He flew, until he was a spot of orange in the distance. They waited and heard another scream, closer this time.

"YEAH!"

Piper frowned. "That was Jason. What's he so excited about?" The bronze figure started to take shape. The shape of a dragon. Festus!

He heard Piper gasp and Percy, grinning, say. "That little bastard."

"LEO MCBAD BOY SUPREME IS BACK BABY!" Leo's voice screamed from atop of his dragon. Festus let out a roar, blowing out fire. The whole camp burst into cheers. He started his descent and Will noticed an unknown girl sitting behind him. The crowd had cleared an open space so Festus could land and the six pushed themselves to the inner circle. Jason landed, grinning wildly. Festus hit the ground with a deafening THUNK! and the whole camp was silent. Leo slid off Festus, landing into a crouch, fist sinking into the sand. He slowly got up, and said, with a neutral expression.

"I'm back." The whole camp cheered again. Will watched as Jason ran up to Leo, tackling him in a hug.

"I knew you weren't dead! I just knew it!" Jason's voice could be heard, even though it was muffled in Leo's shirt.

"I'm fine! I'm fine! Get off me!" Leo said, but his tone was playful. Jason jumped up, and pulled Leo to his feet. Jason put his hand on Leo's shoulder, looking happier than he had in weeks.

"Man, it's great to see y-,"

"LEO FREAKING VALDEZ!" Piper's voice rang out, as she stormed over to Leo.

"Hey, beauty quee-" he was cut off as Piper punched him in the face. "AHHH!" He grabbed his face. "Oh, mother of Zeus! Ow! Gods, where did you learn to punch like that?"

"HOW DARE YOU PULL A STUNT LIKE THAT LEO!" She went in for another punch, but Jason held her arms back. "WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

"Gods, I think I'm bleeding! Am I bleeding?" He touched his jaw in concern. "So much for a warm welcome-"

"Oh, I will show you a warm welcome-" Piper said, trying to free herself of Jason. "JASON! Let me GO!" Will could feel the charmspeak resonate on the beach and suddenly Jason released her. She slapped Leo across the face once more. He screamed a few more curses. Piper then wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug.

"Don't you ever do anything like that to me again!" Will could see tears running down her face. Leo, looking a little scared, wrapped his arms around her.

"Never again, beauty queen," His head buried into her shoulder. They stayed like that a minute longer before Piper broke it off.

"And if you ever do," she lunged towards him, and he stumbled back, falling over. Laughs rippled through the crowd. He brushed the sand off himself and cleared his throat.

Percy greeted him with a complicated handshake, saying "Welcome back, man." Annabeth gave him a hug, saying she was glad he was back. Hazel hugged him as well and Frank hugged both of them, picking them up in a hug, much to everyone's amusement. As everyone started saying their hello's, Leo cleared his throat.

"Yes, yes, I will say hi to all of you eventually, as I know I am very popular. But first, you all might be asking 'Valdez, if you incinerated Gaea about a month ago and didn't die, why are you just getting back to camp?'" Leo said, pacing. He stopped. "Well, ask and answer you shall receive." He started an announcer's voice. "She's a type of music. She loves long walks on the beach. Coming all the way from Ogygia, may I present the lovely, smoking hot, Calypso!" He gestured to Festus, as a girl slid off his back. Will had heard the tale of Calypso. And he knew that no man ever ground Ogygia twice, so how Leo Valdez had found her, he had no idea. She smiled, grabbing hands with Leo.

"Calypso?" Percy whispered in awe. Percy knew her. Calypso looked towards him, smiling softly, but eyes sad.

"Hello Percy."

"I- I. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorr-"

"It's okay. I have forgiven you."

"It's- it's great to see you again." Percy stuttered. Percy and Annabeth both had barely noticeable expressions of anger on their face as they looked at Calypso. Will didn't know why. An uneasy silence settled over the gathering before Leo broke it.

"Well, that was sufficiently awkward. Leo is back baby! Let's get this party started!" The crowd let out a roar in approval. He laughed and the seven all stood in a loose circle.

"Hold on, hold on, I have some questions." Will stood a little off to the side as Piper voiced a question. "How long did it take to find Calypso?"

Leo sheepishly scratched his head. "I found her about a week after I disappeared. I think. Time works differently on Ogygia." His response caused looks of confusion to cross everyone's faces.

"Why did you decide to come back?" Jason asked.

"A friend gave me a little encouraging." Leo said, answering the second question.

As he spoke, Will noticed Leo's gaze shift over to the side. He followed his gaze and found him staring at Nico who was leaning against a tree, on the outskirts of the crowd. As more questions were asked of Leo, Will made a connection. Nico said he had been doing something important. And Leo mentioned being convinced by a friend. Nico had been searching for Leo. Will pulled himself through the crowd and made his way over to Nico.


	24. Chapter 24: Reunion

_AN: Hey everyone! This is my last chapter. To my returning readers, you know that this was only halfway through the first story. I have since decided to split it into two parts. The second part will just be called "Healing the Dark, Part Two." It is not a sequel, just a continuation of the first story, but separated to make the reading a little easier. It will take me some time to transfer the rest of the chapters over to a new story, but I will not remove the preceding chapters until I have finished. Does this all make sense? Anyway, enjoy!_

 _Warnings: major feels, attempted self-harm, panic attacks, anxiety, adult language. Please do not read if any of these themes upset you_

 _Disclaimer: All rights to Rick Riordan. I own nothing, but the plot._

 _Themes of self-harm, anxiety, and depression are expressed within this story. TRIGGER WARNING! Please do NOT read if these themes upset you. TRIGGER WARNING!_

 _Criticism is appreciated, but please no hate. Please review and leave me suggestions! Enjoy!_

* * *

Nico's POV:

As Nico watched Leo answer questions, he noticed Will break away from the crowd and walk towards him.

"You did this, didn't you? This is what you were doing? Why you were disappearing?" Nico merely nodded. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Nico cleared his throat, "Didn't want to get anyone's hopes up."

"That's amazing though, Nico. That you would risk yourself to get Leo home." Will said, face in awe.

Nico shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal."

"Nico, that is a big deal. The others deserve to know what you did. And the others are going to want to know that you are back! " Will started back over to tell them, but Nico stopped him.

"Please, Will, just don't. I don't need any extra attention."

"But, you did a good thing, Nico. And the others are worried sick about you!" Nico sighed to himself.

"Leo is back, nobody is going to worry about me. Look, they are all happy that Leo's is back, they probably have already forgotten about me."

"That's not true, Nico! Please come and join-"

"Will, can you just leave me alone? I just want some time alone to think." Nico knew his place and realized that he didn't belong with the seven or at Camp Half-Blood regardless. And as soon as he could, he would be taking off. He was snapped out of his thoughts as Will sighed, realizing he was fighting a losing battle.

"Fine, but don't run off. If you try to shadow travel, you will fade away so don't try, okay?" Nico nodded as Will stalked off.

Nico looked to the ground, shaking his hair out. He looked back up to watch Leo interact with the crowd. A crowd that he would never be a part of. He sighed and started to turn away to head back to his cabin. He was interrupted by a voice.

"Feeling left out?" He turned back around to see Drew, an Aphrodite camper. "Feeling excluded?"

"Excuse me?" Nico said. He knew Drew had a tendency to be rude so he was interested to see where this was going.

"You heard me. You feel excluded. And you are right to feel that way. Because you are."

"I don't know what you are talking about," Nico stated.

"Yes, you do. You feel like you don't belong here. Because you don't. You cause destruction everywhere you go. Death follows you. You are a poison to this camp."

Nico could feel his temper rising. "You have no right to s-"

"And if that wasn't bad enough, you are also an abomination. A disgrace to humanity. You. Are. Disgusting."

"Wha- what are you talking about?" Nico felt his heartbeat quicken.

"You are a monster. Homosexuality is disgusting, and sickening. You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"

It felt as though the ground had been removed from Nico's feet. _How did she know? How did she find out_?

"Oh, it was easy to find out." _Crap_ he thought _I must have said the last bit out loud_. "And being a daughter of Aphrodite helps. Watching you trail after Percy all those years was pathetic. Because he would never love you. And now, the way you look at Will is so obvious. And it's absolutely disgusting, because it's not like he returns your feelings. He thinks you are a disgrace to demigod name."

"Stop. Stop it, right now!" Nico a panic attack coming on. Disgrace. Disgusting. Abomination.

"You are a monster, who doesn't belong here. So either leave or kill yourself." His heart stopped and Drew's lips curled up into an evil smile. "That's right, I noticed that you cut yourself as well. You think you are so secretive, but you are an open book. You are weak. And pathetic. And worthless. So do everyone a favor and go off yourself-"

"SHUT UP!" A wave of emotion and dark energy flowed from Nico and rippled through the crowd.

The crowd stopped talking and everyone turned to face Nico. The judging stares suddenly became too much for Nico. He pushed away from Drew and started a fast walk to his cabin. He was trying to take calming breaths, but it wasn't working. Drew's words continued running through his mind. He itched to get his hand on a blade. To feel the rip of his skin. And feel the blood running down his arms. To satisfy everyone by just ending it. Nico could feel an oncoming panic attack.

He forced his cabin door open. He started hyperventilating, as he closed the door. He put his forehead against the door, trying to regain his breath. With his hands shaking, he stumbled to his desk. He started pulling open drawers, searching. He threw papers over his shoulder as he looked for a blade. He palmed it and began pacing. He wanted to hurt himself, he wanted to really badly, but he wanted to get out of Camp Half-Blood first. He pulled out a duffle and started shoving clothes inside.

Suddenly, Drew's words rang in his head. Abomination. He reeled back, heart thudding. He gripped the blade tighter, and leaned against the wall, eyes sliding shut, tears burning in his eyes. He slid down the wall, sobs ripping from his throat. He could feel the blade biting into his skin and he welcomed the pain. He heard a knock at the door. He stopped his sobs and croaked out.

"Leave me alone!" He wiped his nose on his sleeve and continued to pack, feeling claustrophobic in his cabin. He heard the door creak open. "No!" He whipped around, facing a surprised Will Solace. "Leave me alone!"

"Like hell I'm going to do that. What's wrong?"

"Leave me alone!"

"Nico, tell me what's happening!" Will's demand sent Nico over the edge.

"You wanna know what's happening, Solace?! I'm leaving Camp Half-Blood and I am not coming back."

Will's face fell in shock. "What?! You can't be serious! Why?"

"Because I am a monster. I kill people all the time! Destruction and death wreak havoc wherever I go! I don't belong here! I am sick and a disgrace-"

"What? You are not a disgrace! Why would you think that?"

"Because I am gay!" The confession caused Will to fall silent. "I don't know how Drew found out, but she probably told the entire camp so now I don't belong because I am an abom- abomination! I am attracted to guys rather than girls and I was born in a time where people used to be lock up in insane asylum for thinking this way!" Nico was pulling at his hair with one hand, as if wanting to tear it out. The other hand gripped the blade tightly, as tears poured down his face, blood trickled down his arm. "They tried to cure gay people. As if we have a sickness! I am abnormal and a freak and sickening and worthless and I deserve to die!" Nico's voice cracked on the last word as he slid down the wall.

He started hyperventilating again as the panic settled in. The world muted. He saw Will's concerned face, tightened with alarm, swimming in front of him. Will was saying something, but it was muted. He was trying to force the blade out of Nico's hand, but Nico clenched his hand tighter. Will pried open Nico's clenched hand and withdrew the blade.

"No, no, no!" Nico struggled to get it back. As he struggled, Will disposed of the blade. Nico started whimpering and curled into a ball, huddled against the wall. He just wanted it all to be over. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he flinched away from Will. Will wasn't deterred though as he kept his hand on Nico's shoulder. He lightly pulled Nico's hands from his face. He lightly wrapped Nico's hand in a bandage. As he secured that, he pushed Nico's chin up so his eyes met Will's blue one. He couldn't hear what Will was saying, but just seeing him started to calm him down. He started breathing in sync with Will. The feeling of hysteria passed as his breaths evened out. The world finally unmuted. He stopped shaking. He didn't know how, but Will had been able to stop his panic attack.

"Better?" Will asked. The concern in his voice was almost palpable. Nico stood and Will joined him.

"Why are you here, Solace?" His question caused the son of Apollo to splutter.

"Why am I here? Because I care about you, Nico, and I care about your wellbeing." He said gently.

"You don't hate me?"

"Hate you? I don't hate you. Why would you think that?"

"Drew."

"Well, Drew is just jealous."

"Of what? She said you were sickened by me. By what I am."

"You don't have a sickness. You are not an abomination. I am a healer and I can tell you that you are not ill. You are perfectly fine, Nico di Angelo. Homosexuality is not a disease, not a problem, and nothing to be ashamed of." Will stated simply.

"But Drew and-"

"Drew is a bitch and everyone who has given you crap has no idea what they are talking about." At his words, Nico's heart jumped.

"So you aren't disgusted by me?" He asked, tentatively.

"Of course not! I would have to be disgusted with myself if I was with you." _Wait_.

"You mean you are-"

"Gay? Yes. And are you disgusted with me?"

"What? No!"

"Did that piece of information change your opinion or view of me?"

"No! Why would it?"

"Exactly," _Oh_. Nico understood what Will was doing. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Nico. And Drew only said those things because she liked me at one point and I rejected her...Well, because she's a bitch and I'm gay. And she's jealous of you"

The words didn't make sense to Nico. "Jealous? Of me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Wow, you really are dense," Will said, exasperated. "Why do you think I stay up all night making sure you're okay? Or make sure you are eating? Or aren't hurting yourself?"

Nico didn't allow himself to hope. "Because you are my doctor?"

"Because I love you, Nico! Because I care about you!" The confession warmed Nico to his core. "Nico di Angelo, I am in love with you!" William Solace, the very healer he had been crushing on, loved him? These thoughts continued to run through his head for a couple of minutes before Will interrupted them.

"Well. Say something." He looked up at Will.

He grabbed Will's shirt and pulled him forward. He turned them around, pinning Will against the wall. Their lips collided and Nico felt fireworks in the pit of his stomach. He watched as Will's eyes fluttered shut, and his slid closed as well. Suddenly, their position flipped, and Nico was being pinned by Will as he took control of the kiss. Both of Will's hands were on the sides of his face, trying to give himself leverage on the kiss. He was kissing freaking Will Solace. He had dreamed about this. His first kiss was with freaking William Solace. William freaking Solace! He broke off the kiss to breathe. Will's blue orbs opened, his eyes sparkling.

"So, I take it you return my feelings?" He said smirking.

"Shut up, Solace!" He muttered, determined to kiss that smirk off Will's face.

He leaned back in and Will met him halfway, leaning down. His hands tangled themselves into Will's hair and Will let out an approving moan. He broke off the kiss again and Will moved down to his neck, burying his face in his shoulder. He felt Will leave searing kisses on his neck. He felt tingles of pleasure work their way through his body. He tilted his head back, exposing more of his neck.

"Am I interrupting?" Nico and Will both whipped toward the door. Jason was grinning at them. Nico felt his face turn beet red, and Will's face looked similar. He felt mortified. "Took you long enough."

"Get out of my cabin, Grace!"

Jason chuckled. "Just come on and join the rest of us when you are ready." He closed the door. Nico could faintly hear Jason's voice then a shriek of excitement from Piper who Nico guessed had been standing outside with Jason. He awkwardly looked back to Will, who was smiling, embarrassed.

"Can I assume that you are staying? And have gotten over this idea of leaving?"

"Yes, yes you can." Nico said, a smile working its way onto his face.

"Good," Will nodded, as he laced his fingers with Nico's. "So, what does this make us?"

"Friends."

"Nico! We were friends before." Nico kept a straight face, though the incredulous face on Will's face made him want to laugh. He wanted to mess with Will.

"No. You were my annoying doctor who forced me to hang out with him. Now, I suppose, we can be friends." Will looked shocked. Nico bit his lip to keep himself from laughing.

"Nico!" Nico burst out laughing.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding." Will looked at him in amazement. "What?"

"I don't think I have ever heard you laugh before." He punched Will in the shoulder as he said this. "What? I'm being serious." He said grinning. "And it is the cutest, most beautiful laugh I have ever heard." Nico spluttered.

"Cute? I am not cute. I am dark and brooding. I hang out with skeletons. I am the son of Hades. I bring the wrath of Hell. I am the Ghost King." Nico stated, trying to look menacing. But Will just laughed.

"Okay, my little ray of darkness. You are terrifying," he said, with no menace, poking Nico on the nose. "So," he brought up their interlocked fingers. "What does this make us?"

Nico fought down uneasiness as he answered the question. "I don't know. I want to be with you, but I don't want everyone to know. And I'm not really about the whole PDA thing."

"Of course, I totally understand! Whatever you are most comfortable with!" Will smiled, looking genuine. "Now, ready to go join everyone else?"

"Yeah, I'm ready." Will gave him a peck on the cheek and released his hand.

Nico opened his cabin door to find a small crowd outside. They all gave a loud roar when they saw Nico and Will. Some "I told you so's," and "about time's" could be heard from the crowd. Nico grinned, sheepishly, interlocking his fingers with Will, who gave him a look, asking if it was okay. Nico nodded and brought his and Will's hands up, showing them to the crowd. Tumultuous applause and shouting could be heard. He and Will merged into the crowd and found the seven and Reyna. Their faces were all shining.

"We are so glad you are back, Nico!" Annabeth said.

"So, you brought Leo back, huh? When were you planning on telling us?" Piper asked, raising her voice to be heard over the crowd.

His response was cut short. "Is that why you kept leaving camp and shadow traveling?" Percy asked. He barely had time to nod, before Hazel asked a question.

"When were you going to tell me about Will?"

Frank asked. "Why did you run off earlier?" He held out his hand, asking for quiet and started answering the questions. When he mentioned Drew, everyone looked murderous at what Drew had said, but Nico asked them not to sink to Drew's level. He finished answering questions, and continued playing with Will's hands.

"Enough of that. Every heard of too much PDA, love birds?" Their stares broke off as Leo spoke. "Now, Leo's back, so let's get this party started!" Everyone laughed, and Will pulled Nico to his side, arm loosely wrapped around his waist. Nico looked around at all his friends and finally found where he belonged. A place where he was wanted. Camp Half-Blood was finally his home.


	25. Healing the Dark, Part Two

_Hey everyone! This is the end of Healing the Dark. It used to be 68 chapters but now it is only 25. I decided to split it up because 68 was too long. For new readers, continue onto Healing the Dark Part Two. I split Healing the Dark at chapter 25. Healing the Dark is chapters 1-25. Healing the Dark part two is just chapter 25-68._

 _Healing the Dark, Part Two, takes place four months after the events of Healing the Dark. All my previous readers have already read it. All my new content will be with Searching the Light, the sequel to Healing the Dark and Healing the Dark, Part Two. I will continue to make updates on that story._

 _Thank you all for your continued support!_

 _-musicaldoctor1819_


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